The launch ceremony of the 2022 China's Grand Canal Overseas Tourism Promotion Season was held on July 20 in Liaocheng, Shandong province.

The 2022 China's Grand Canal Overseas Tourism Promotion Season kicks off on July 20 in Liaocheng, Shandong province. [Photo/Dazhong News]

Under the theme of "Tour the millennium Grand Canal and appreciate the beauty of intangible cultural heritages", the event will highlight the Grand Canal themed culture and tourism projects.

From July to August, a series of activities such as the global exhibition and screening of documentaries on Grand Canal intangible cultural heritages will be launched to tap into the cultural and tourism resources along the Grand Canal and enhance the international communication of Chinese culture.

A foreign participant shows off a Liaocheng traditional handicraft. [Photo/Dazhong News]

Liaocheng will host a series of activities such as food tastings, a handicrafts exhibition, a painting and calligraphy art exhibition, performances, and tourism promotions to display the city's Yellow River and the Grand Canal convergence.

The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, which runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the longest and oldest artificial river in the world.

The canal was a pillar for the economy, social stability, and government operations in ancient China. It also helped the evolution of Chinese culture by enhancing communication between the south and the north.

A craftsman works on a Liaocheng handicraft at the opening ceremony of the event. [Photo/Dazhong News]