On September 14, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development held the “2018 Tourism into Communities & Grand Canal Culture Promotion Campaign” at the Canal Culture Square in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The event aimed to convey the cultural value and essence of the Grand Canal to local residents and jointly support the development of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt.
An ancient canal, so much history through the ages. For a long time, the Grand Canal has brought profound cultural heritage to many cities along its route. During his inspection of Beijing in 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that protecting the Grand Canal is the shared responsibility of all regions along the canal, and that Beijing should play an exemplary role. The Grand Canal is a precious legacy left by our ancestors, a flowing culture that must be protected, inherited, and utilized in a coordinated manner.
Relevant leaders from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development stated that in recent years, Beijing has been actively promoting the publicity and construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. The launch of the “2018 Tourism into Communities & Grand Canal Culture Promotion” campaign aims to help more community residents perceive the cultural value and essence of the Grand Canal, appreciate its beauty, understand and value the protection of its cultural heritage, and jointly support the development of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt through a variety of activities such as lectures on canal culture, photo exhibitions, and encouraging residents to visit the area.
In June 2014, China’s Grand Canal was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO believes that the canal remains “represent human migration and flow, representing the multidimensional reciprocity and continuous exchange of goods, ideas, knowledge, and values.” As the northern starting point of the Grand Canal, the Beijing section stretches 82 kilometers, traversing millennia and crossing seven districts. The area features a dense distribution of cultural relics of diverse types, among which the Tonghui River section in old Beijing and the Tonghui River section in Tongzhou are World Heritage sites. Along the Beijing section of the Grand Canal, there are numerous cultural relics and landscapes, including the Yuhe Site, the Grand Canal Forest Park in Tongzhou District, the Sanjiao Temple, and the Ranmu Pagoda.
On the day of the event, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development invited Ren Deyong, Secretary of the Tongzhou District Museum and an expert on Grand Canal culture, to explain the cultural value of the canal and the significance of building the Grand Canal Cultural Belt to local residents.
(Photo shows Secretary Ren Deyong of the Tongzhou District Museum introducing the Grand Canal culture to attendees)
After the launch ceremony, the commission organized nearly a hundred community residents for a boat tour of the Grand Canal to experience its historic charm and hear oral histories of the canal. Many participants expressed that being able to listen to expert commentary and experience the canal culture firsthand made the event very memorable and rewarding.
(Photo shows community residents taking a boat tour of the Grand Canal under the guidance of a professional narrator)
It is reported that this Grand Canal culture promotion campaign is an important part of this year’s “Tourism into Communities” series in Beijing. In recent years, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development has continuously carried out the “Tourism into Communities” initiative, increasing publicity for Beijing’s high-quality tourism resources, promoting improvements in service quality, and driving reform and innovation in tourism product supply. This has allowed citizens to enjoy convenient, affordable, and standardized high-quality tourism services right at their doorstep.
This year’s “Tourism into Communities” activities also include the “Impressions of Beijing” Travel Photography Competition, the “Drive & Enjoy” Self-Drive Tour Routes of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, and a series of museum-themed events in communities.
During the event, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development summarized previously held photography competitions and self-drive tour route evaluations, showcasing award-winning entries from the Beijing Travel Photography Competition to allow community residents to appreciate Beijing’s cultural tourism appeal through stunning photos. Awards were also presented to ten outstanding routes selected in the self-drive route evaluation.
(Photo shows award presenters and winning representatives posing for a group photo)