Xi's call to preserve heritage leads to excavation

BEIJING - Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has given a series of important instructions and made arrangements to retain cultural roots and safeguard the soul of the nation by promoting the protection of cultural and natural heritage.

In June 2017, President Xi instructed that a cultural belt be built along the Grand Canal.

"The Grand Canal is precious heritage passed down to us by our ancestors and is culture that should be protected, inherited and used," he said.