Biography of the Grand Canal.

A publication symposium for the Biography of the Grand Canal was held in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, on Nov 18, 2022.

The Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest canal and artificial river in the world. Starting in Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, ending in the city of Hangzhou. It links the Yellow River and Yangtze River.

Liu Qibao, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that launching the book in Yangzhou is meaningful as the city boasts 1,000 years of history with the Grand Canal.

The book is the first of the national cultural park biography series. Biographies on the Great Wall, Long March, Yellow River, and Yangtze River will be published in the following days, according to Liu.

He believes that focusing on famous Chinese landmarks such as the Grand Canal and the Great Wall in the development of national cultural parks will help make China more culturally influential.

Zhang Aijun, director of the publicity department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, noted that Jiangsu authorities have set up the first tourism development fund featuring the Grand Canal in China and built the China Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou and an online platform for the Grand Canal National Cultural Park to make the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal a model of cultural heritage protection.

Sun Zhenfu, president of Phoenix Publishing and Media Group, said at the meeting that PPMG will focus on the publication, publicity, and promotion of the book.

The group will use its bookstores, Phoenix Reading Clubs, digital platforms and copyright exports to introduce the Biography of the Grand Canal to more readers, he added.

The book includes six chapters with 200,000 Chinese characters and explores the ancient canal's history, archaeological excavation, technology, and cultural, social and economic value.

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