[Explanation] In order to deeply dig the cultural connotation of the Grand Canal, display the historical context and contemporary value of the Grand Canal, and play the role of the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal as a bridge and link for cultural exchanges, on August 8, it was hosted by the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and China News Service The 2022 Beijing (International) Canal Culture Festival officially kicked off in Beijing.

　　2022 will be the 730th anniversary of Guo Shoujing's digging of the Beijing section of the Grand Canal.

Zhao Lei, member of the Standing Committee and Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Tongzhou District Party Committee, said that it is our common responsibility to protect, inherit and make good use of the Grand Canal.

It is believed that the successful holding of this event will surely allow more people to experience the profound cultural charm and new look of the canal, and will surely promote the exchange, mutual learning and common prosperity of the world canal culture and civilization.

　　[Commentary] Alan MacFarlane, a professor of social anthropology at the University of Cambridge and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, said in a video speech that the canal has played an interesting and important role in the progress of civilizations everywhere.

　　[Concurrent] Alan MacFarlane, Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, UK and Academician of the National Academy of Sciences

　　I also slowly realized that the canal played an interesting and important role in the progress of civilizations everywhere, especially for China.

China has many wonders of the world. The Grand Canal in China is far earlier than the time when the Roman Canal was built. The various sections of the Grand Canal in China have been completed and opened to navigation. It stretches for more than a thousand kilometers, which is equivalent to the distance from northern Scotland to southern France. The long waterways have played a pivotal role in Chinese history.

　　[Explanation] Zhang Mingxin, editor-in-chief of China News Service, pointed out that China News Service has been committed to the dissemination of China's Grand Canal culture at home and abroad.

Telling the story of the Grand Canal in the new era and composing a new chapter in the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal culture is a new task entrusted to us by the times.

　　[Explanation] Zhao Weidong, Executive Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, introduced that Beijing has fully implemented the five key projects of the construction and protection plan of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, systematically promoted the protection and inheritance, research and excavation, environmental support, cultural and tourism integration, and digital online, and achieved remarkable results.

　　[Explanation] At the opening ceremony on the same day, a large number of achievements were released, such as new achievements in the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt, achievements in the construction of the cultural and expo field of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt, and 10 beautiful life-themed routes on the Grand Canal in Beijing in 2022.

The opening ceremony set up the "Canal Twelve Hours" VR interactive experience exhibition, and also carried out a virtual human interactive holographic theatrical performance, combining the ancient charm of the canal with modern technology to interpret the ancient and modern canal culture.

　　[Explanation] It is understood that the cultural festival has refined the diverse cultural characteristics of the Beijing section of the Grand Canal, and integrated various resources such as culture, tourism, and sports along the line. A series of key activities such as "3+3+2" were held by adopting a combination of online and offline methods.

　　Let Baokui Xie Longfei report from Beijing

Responsible editor: [Liu Pai]