China's Grand Canal Overseas Tourism Promotion Season 2022 was launched in Liaocheng, Shandong province of East China on July 20.

Zhang Xu, deputy-minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China; Fan Huaping, vice governor of Shandong Provincial People's Government; and Tayfun Kalkan, director of Beijing Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center attended the opening ceremony along with governmental officials and representatives.

In his speech, Zhang said the Grand Canal was a dynamic and vivid world cultural heritage which carries Chinese people's history, civilization and traditional virtue.

"The promotion is an opportunity to have more communications and cultural exchanges with other countries based on canal culture."

Kalkan said the event could help foreigners learn more about the Grand Canal culture.

The promotion was organized by the Network of International Culturalink Entities and departments of culture and tourism (bureaus) of eight cities and provinces, including Beijing, Hebei, Jiangsu and Henan. It will go through July and August.