Deal aims to boost Grand Canal culture industry

The 2020 Beijing-Hangzhou Dialogue on the Grand Canal — the water conduit connecting Beijing and the Yangtze River Delta — kicked off this week in Beijing with a series of framework agreements between local authorities of the two cities.

The agreements address issues relating to a new five-party cooperative mechanism and aims to foster high-quality in the tourism and cultural industries, the organizer said.

The five parties are the Beijing, Hangzhou and Zhejiang governments, China News Service and the World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization.

They also launched an appeal calling for wider public participation in the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal.

The Bank of Beijing and its counterpart in Hangzhou released financial products related to the cultural themes of the canal.

In addition to dialogue between Beijing and Hangzhou, a series of shows give audiences a taste of the rich history of the two cities.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was added to the UN's World Heritage List in 2014.

This year's event includes talks and several themed exhibitions that showcase distinctive regional characteristics found along the canal related to ancient works of Chinese literature and art, as well as modern photography.