A grand-scale online themed campaign focused on promoting the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal kicked off on Saturday in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, to mark the 10th anniversary of the world's longest man-made waterway being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Renowned as a marvel of Chinese engineering, the Grand Canal boasts a history of over 2,500 years and stretches an impressive 3,200 kilometers. It connects 35 cities across eight provinces and municipalities, serving as a vital artery for transportation and trade.

The campaign's launch event, accentuated by captivating performances of Yangzhou Tanci (storytelling in the local dialect accompanied by stringed instruments), showcased the creation of this engineering wonder and its significant role in facilitating trade, cultural exchanges and economic prosperity in ancient China.

Representatives from the country's major news websites, new media centers by national media outlets, and leading social media platforms such as Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu, unveiled a bevy of online promotional projects. These initiatives aim to highlight the profound cultural heritage and contemporary relevance of the Grand Canal, resonating with a wide audience.

In addition, the upcoming two weeks will see the eight provinces and municipalities – Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing – that the Grand Canal flows through, stage online and offline theme day promotions to raise public awareness of the living heritage.

The launch event also cast a spotlight on Yangzhou and the Grand Canal's Jiangsu section.

Yangzhou holds historical significance as the starting point of the canal's oldest section, excavated by King Fuchai of Wu in the early 5th century BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). It served as a vital supply and transport route for the states of Wu and Yue. Yangzhou also took the lead in helping the Grand Canal seek UNESCO listing.

Spanning 790 kilometers, the Jiangsu section of the waterway links eight cities from south to north: Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Huai'an, Suqian and Xuzhou. Archeologists and scholars attest that this section boasts the longest waterway, the richest cultural heritage, the best state of preservation and the highest level of navigation.

To delve into the sites associated with this ancient engineering marvel, dozens of journalists are embarking on a media tour from June 23 to 28, exploring the eight cities.

The campaign is co-hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the People's Daily and the Jiangsu Provincial Cyberspace Administration.