The Grand Canal of Zaozhuang section in Shandong province is beautifully illuminated by a set of lanterns themed on "prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix" in the Taierzhuang ancient town scenic area. [Photo/WeChat account: Taierzhuang ancient town]

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, recently approved a province and department joint meeting system for the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal culture.

The Grand Canal is an ancient water conservancy project, and is the world's earliest, longest and largest canal.

It has a length of 2,700 kilometers and was the main artery for ancient China's north-south traffic. It passes through a total of eight provinces and municipalities.

The province and department joint meeting system will consist of 17 departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ministry of Natural Resources as well as the eight provinces and cities including Jiangsu province, Beijing, and Tianjin.

The province and department joint meeting system for the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal culture aims to coordinate and cooperate on major tasks and projects related to the Grand Canal, in order to build the Grand Canal into a beautiful symbol and promoter of China's image and civilization in the world.