Exploring Canal, Embracing China: Cangzhou Hosts International Cultural Exchange Event

Using the river as a medium to connect civilizations across China and the world; using art as a bridge to jointly paint the magnificent scroll of the Grand Canal

CANGZHOU, China, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As one of the major events of the 10th Hebei Tourism Industry Development Conference, the three-day international cultural exchange event themed “Exploring Canal, Embracing China” was held in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, from September 11 to 13. The “Foreign Media Journalists Visit Hebei” series of activities was held simultaneously.

This year marks the 12th anniversary of the successful inscription of the Grand Canal of China on the UNESCO World Heritage List. More than 90 guests from China and abroad, including media journalists from 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean region, as well as international youth representatives, gathered in Cangzhou to explore the thousand-year-old cultural heritage of the Grand Canal and experience its renewed charm in the new era.

Live Streaming on the Water: Chinese and Foreign Youth Jointly Paint the Grand Canal

On September 13, one of the highlights of the exchange event—the Grand Canal kayaking experience for Chinese and international kayaking enthusiasts—was held along the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal and livestreamed throughout the event.

At the Baishiyuan Wharf, 23 Chinese and international kayaking enthusiasts formed a team and embarked on a cultural journey along the canal. Chinese and foreign guests also boarded traditional sightseeing boats to experience the beauty of the Grand Canal along the way.

In 2014, the Grand Canal of China was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal possesses distinctive cultural and historical value. Stretching 216 kilometers, it is the longest urban section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Cangzhou is also the only city through which the Grand Canal passes across its entire territory.

The section features 230 bends and has preserved the original northern canal landscape, characterized by the winding pattern known as “nine curves and eighteen bends.” Meanwhile, the Xiejia Dam in Lianzhen, Dongguang County, Cangzhou, is one of the World Cultural Heritage sites of the Grand Canal, bearing witness to the canal’s thousand-year history.

At the event, Chinese and international participants formed teams and paddled along the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal. They retrieved bottles floating on the water that contained jigsaw pieces representing cities along the canal. After returning to the wharf, the participants jointly completed a magnificent scroll depicting the Grand Canal.

Field Visits: An Immersive Experience of the Millennium-Old Grand Canal

During the event, the guests followed the thousand-year-old course of the Grand Canal and visited the Cangzhou section.

Over the following days, they watched the large-scale immersive acrobatic production Jianghu at the Jianghu Grand Theater and visited the Wuqiao Jianghu Cultural City, where they interacted with acrobats and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, including performers of traditional acts such as “The Immortal Picking Beans.” Through these experiences, they discovered the vibrant, authentic atmosphere of traditional Chinese acrobatics.

The guests also traveled to Wuqiao to watch spectacular acrobatic performances and visited the Wuqiao Acrobatic Arts School, where they observed classes and gained an insight into how Chinese acrobatics serves as a cultural practice that conveys friendship.

The guests also took a nighttime boat tour of the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal from Baishiyuan Wharf. They visited a market showcasing intangible cultural heritage from along the canal and watched performances, experiencing the vitality of the Grand Canal and the new look of Cangzhou under the dazzling night sky.

At the China Grand Canal Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall, the delegation experienced representative displays of intangible cultural heritage from the eight provinces along the Grand Canal. They also took part in interactive activities such as movable-type printing and making traditional Chinese herbal sachets, marveling at the richness and depth of traditional Chinese culture.

Joining Hands Across Borders to Tell the Story of the Grand Canal to the World

The event was not only a cultural experience, but also an exchange of ideas.

Chinese and international guests engaged in in-depth discussions on cultural exchanges and mutual learning along the Grand Canal and explored opportunities for cooperation and development among canal cities around the world.

Through field visits and on-site interviews, foreign media journalists recorded the landscapes of the Grand Canal, the distinctive acrobatic culture of Wuqiao, and the new face of Cangzhou. Through their cameras and reporting, they told the story of the Grand Canal of China to audiences around the world, highlighting Cangzhou’s profound cultural heritage and its open and dynamic approach to development.

The Grand Canal is a living cultural heritage, as well as a civilizational bond connecting the past and present and fostering dialogue among cultures around the world.

By using the river as a medium and art as a bridge, the event effectively promoted people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries, encouraged civilizations to better understand and integrate with one another, and further enhanced the international communication and global reach of the culture of the Grand Canal of China. It also injected new vitality into Hebei’s international people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

CONTACT：

Contact Person: Si Yu

Email: siyu@hebeinews.com

Website: https://www.hebnews.cn

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