A group of 30 journalists from central, provincial, and municipal media visited Jining's canal memory project on Oct 23 and immersed themselves in the city's historical heritage through a night cruise along the ancient canal.

The canal memory project, spanning approximately 11 square kilometers, is located along Jining's historic canal and is surrounded by a wealth of cultural treasures, including Dongda Temple, the Taibai Building and Tianjing Gate.

A night view of the Grand Canal in Rencheng district, Jining city. [Photo/Website: Sdchina News]

The project aims to implement a series of cultural tourism initiatives that would create a vibrant scene that embraces the "one canal and two banks, three streets and six lanes, four museums and five points" concept.

"One canal" involves activating the canal with boats and music, and launching day and night tourist routes. "Two banks" focuses on creating captivating daytime and nighttime landscapes along the canal. "Three streets and six lanes" combines historical culture and folk customs to develop unique streets and alleys. "Four museums" encompass distinctive museums, cultural halls, intangible cultural heritage research centers, and traditional restaurants. "Five places" refer to five community spaces, including tourist service centers, antique markets, canal theaters, Dongda Temple, and Yutang Jiangyuan.

The Rencheng district of Jining city has successfully transformed the canal memory cultural district into a cultural hotspot that provides tourists with compelling reasons to visit and stay and serves as a treasure trove of local customs and flavors.