2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion Campaign Launches! A Unique Celebration for All in Tongzhou!
Source：Beijing Tongzhou Fabu 2025-04-28
The "Kaicao Festival", an ancient folk festival exclusive to Tongzhou, dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Originally held to honor figures like Wu Zhong, who contributed to dredging the Tonghui River, and to pray for safe and smooth grain transport in the new year, the festival has evolved with the times.
Though the Grand Canal no longer serves its historical transport role, Tongzhou District has launched the 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion Campaign to revitalize the canal's millennia-old cultural legacy in the modern era, reviving this grand historical celebration along its banks.
The campaign has been officially launched at April 26. Under the theme "Navigating the Canal to Connect the World; Commences with Great Fortune", it reinforces the cultural tourism brand "Tongzhou on the Canal" and creating a citywide carnival that blends history with urban innovation.
The opening ceremony was held at the Dacheng Hall of the "Three Temples and One Pagoda" complex in Tongzhou. It features immersive performances, industry collaborations, and milestone announcements. Key highlights included the official unveiling of the "Tongzhou on the Canal" cultural tourism brand, the establishment of a "Tongzhou on the Canal" alliance integrating culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and agriculture, and the release of the 2025 co-creation recruitment plan, the Grand Canal Rural Revitalization Index, and achievements in the Grand Canal New Audiovisual Industry. Renowned historians also delivered speeches on the canal's cultural significance.
A dynamic academic forum at the Beijing Library sparked intellectual exchanges on canal culture. With one main venue and four sub-venues leveraging resources from Beijing-based universities, the event aims to advance systematic research and theoretical support for the Grand Canal Cultural Belt.
"Bridges Along the Canal" Water-themed Photography Exhibition: Capturing the architectural and ecological beauty of bridges along the canal through photography. "Legacy of Grain Transport: Revitalizing Intangible Heritage": Showcasing representative intangible cultural heritage products from canal regions including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, offering modern interpretations of traditional craftsmanship.
On the evening of April 26th, the event also featured a spectacular showcase. The "Epic of the Grand Canal" light and shadow show, with its narrative centered around "the millennia-old canal culture", connected five major landmarks - Daguang Tower, Tongzhou Lighthouse Pagoda, Canal Business District, Canal Pillar, and Water Tower - creating an immersive nighttime experience route that is "tangible, perceptible, and explorable".
On April 27th, the "Grand Canal Overture" light and shadow show officially opened to the public. As part of the "Kaicao Festival" 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion campaign, the show will run daily along the canal from April 27th to May 5th. Residents and visitors can enjoy this spectacular artistic feast by boarding sightseeing boats along the canal. Tickets can be purchased online through the "Beijing Tongzhou Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Service Platform", with boarding available at Daguanglou Pier. The cruise offers views of several scenic spots including the night view of Daguanglou Tower, Qianhe Xielu Bridge, the Canal Pillar, the Canal Dragon Boat, and the Seven-Arch Sluice Bridge.
The 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion Campaign represents both a contemporary symphony of the millennia-old canal heritage and a cultural invitation from Beijing Municipal Administrative Center to the world. We cordially invite residents and visitors to experience "Tongzhou on the Canal" and join us in celebrating this tribute to water transport culture, as we collectively compose a new chapter of prosperity for canal civilization.
Though the Grand Canal no longer serves its historical transport role, Tongzhou District has launched the 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion Campaign to revitalize the canal's millennia-old cultural legacy in the modern era, reviving this grand historical celebration along its banks.
The campaign has been officially launched at April 26. Under the theme "Navigating the Canal to Connect the World; Commences with Great Fortune", it reinforces the cultural tourism brand "Tongzhou on the Canal" and creating a citywide carnival that blends history with urban innovation.
The opening ceremony was held at the Dacheng Hall of the "Three Temples and One Pagoda" complex in Tongzhou. It features immersive performances, industry collaborations, and milestone announcements. Key highlights included the official unveiling of the "Tongzhou on the Canal" cultural tourism brand, the establishment of a "Tongzhou on the Canal" alliance integrating culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and agriculture, and the release of the 2025 co-creation recruitment plan, the Grand Canal Rural Revitalization Index, and achievements in the Grand Canal New Audiovisual Industry. Renowned historians also delivered speeches on the canal's cultural significance.
A dynamic academic forum at the Beijing Library sparked intellectual exchanges on canal culture. With one main venue and four sub-venues leveraging resources from Beijing-based universities, the event aims to advance systematic research and theoretical support for the Grand Canal Cultural Belt.
"Bridges Along the Canal" Water-themed Photography Exhibition: Capturing the architectural and ecological beauty of bridges along the canal through photography. "Legacy of Grain Transport: Revitalizing Intangible Heritage": Showcasing representative intangible cultural heritage products from canal regions including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, offering modern interpretations of traditional craftsmanship.
On the evening of April 26th, the event also featured a spectacular showcase. The "Epic of the Grand Canal" light and shadow show, with its narrative centered around "the millennia-old canal culture", connected five major landmarks - Daguang Tower, Tongzhou Lighthouse Pagoda, Canal Business District, Canal Pillar, and Water Tower - creating an immersive nighttime experience route that is "tangible, perceptible, and explorable".
On April 27th, the "Grand Canal Overture" light and shadow show officially opened to the public. As part of the "Kaicao Festival" 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion campaign, the show will run daily along the canal from April 27th to May 5th. Residents and visitors can enjoy this spectacular artistic feast by boarding sightseeing boats along the canal. Tickets can be purchased online through the "Beijing Tongzhou Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Service Platform", with boarding available at Daguanglou Pier. The cruise offers views of several scenic spots including the night view of Daguanglou Tower, Qianhe Xielu Bridge, the Canal Pillar, the Canal Dragon Boat, and the Seven-Arch Sluice Bridge.
The 2025 Grand Canal Cultural Promotion Campaign represents both a contemporary symphony of the millennia-old canal heritage and a cultural invitation from Beijing Municipal Administrative Center to the world. We cordially invite residents and visitors to experience "Tongzhou on the Canal" and join us in celebrating this tribute to water transport culture, as we collectively compose a new chapter of prosperity for canal civilization.