The 2026 Yangtze River Culture Festival opened on Oct 30 in Yonglian village, Nanfeng town, Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province. For the first time in its 23-year history, a village is serving as the main venue.
The festival highlights the role of culture in rural vitalization and explores new approaches for culture-tourism integration.
Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Yangtze River Economic Belt development strategy, this year's festival seeks to turn the river's rich cultural heritage into tangible development opportunities. Through a range of cultural, tourism and industrial initiatives, it aims to strengthen ties among communities along the river while boosting cultural exchange and consumption.
A key highlight of the opening ceremony was the introduction of the Declaration on Shared Prosperity through Rural Culture and Tourism. This initiative was proposed by rural representatives from 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities along the Yangtze River Basin. The declaration calls on villages across the river basin to use culture and tourism as a means to explore new approaches to rural vitalization and to promote shared prosperity within the river basin.
On the same day, a symposium on coordinated culture and tourism development among rural communities along the Yangtze River Basin was held in Yonglian village. Participants discussed ways to protect and pass down Yangtze River heritage while promoting culture‑tourism integration.
At the meeting, the villages jointly signed a memorandum, pledging to establish a regular mechanism for partnership in resource sharing, joint branding and the exchange of practices.
A series of initiatives to promote cultural and tourism development was unveiled at the opening ceremony. These include the introduction of Jiangsu's autumn and winter cultural and tourism activities, as well as consumer incentives. Recommended high-speed rail itineraries linking distinctive towns in the Yangtze River Delta region, along with information on major performances in Shanghai and Jiangsu, were also released to stimulate the sharing of cultural performance resources between the two regions. Premium inbound tourism routes along the Yangtze were also introduced to attract more international visitors.
Beyond the ceremony, two exhibitions at Yonglian Art Museum offered different perspectives on the river's cultural legacy.
Art Without Boundaries features more than 200 works co-created by professional artists and residents, placing public participation at the heart of artistic creation. By bringing artists and communities together, the exhibition seeks to make culture a shared experience rooted in everyday life.
Meanwhile, Seal Narratives of the Yangtze River presents more than 80 seal-carving works inspired by the river's landscapes, landmarks and classical poetry. Created with traditional carving techniques, these works will travel with the exhibition to the China Cultural Center in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov 19, bringing Yangtze River culture to an international audience.
The festival runs through Nov 29, offering a month-long program of cultural experiences across different locations along the river.
