Xing'an, People's Network, July 21st - On July 20th, the 2023 World Canal Conference Seminar was held in Xing'an County, Guilin City. Scholars and experts gathered by the beautiful Lingqu Canal to discuss the protection and inheritance of canal culture, helping to build Guilin into a world-class tourist city. According to reports, Guangxi boasts beautiful and magnificent landscapes, unique ethnic customs, and colorful cultures.

         With its coastal, riverside, and border locations, it spans three major river basins: the Pearl River, Yangtze River, and Southwest Rivers. Guangxi has numerous rivers and developed water systems, with a long history of canal construction and a leading number of canals in China. It has three ancient canals: Lingqu Canal, Ancient Guilin-Liuzhou Canal, and Tanpeng Canal, as well as the ongoing Pinglu Canal project and the planned Xiang-Gui Canal. After more than 2,000 years, the Lingqu Canal still maintains navigation functionality and continues to serve in irrigation, flood control, water replenishment for the Lijiang River, cultural tourism, and other roles, with its functional value continuously expanding. 

         In recent years, the Autonomous Region Party Committee and government have attached great importance to Lingqu's protection and improvement. Guilin City has made Lingqu's protection and improvement a key component of building a world-class tourist city. It has implemented the "Guilin Lingqu Protection Regulations," completed the "Lingqu Protection Plan," established the Lingqu Museum, and comprehensively strengthened research on Lingqu's historical functional values in water conservancy, military, and transportation. It has carry out in depth canal protection and restoration, cultural exhibitions, water replenishment and navigation restoration, environmental improvement, and other work, striving to create a Lingqu eco-tourism belt and promoting integrated development of "tourism + water conservancy" and "tourism + agriculture." Lingqu has successfully been listed as a world irrigation heritage site and is currently applying for world cultural heritage status, propelling this millennium-old canal into a new era with renewed vitality. 

        This seminar was held both online and offline, with scholars and experts conducting in-depth discussions around the theme of "The Uniqueness of the Lingqu Canal." The conference aims to continuously promote the application for World Cultural Heritage and National Water Conservancy Heritage status for Lingqu, strengthen research on its historical functional values as a "Belt and Road" connector, and revitalize this millennium-old canal as an important window for showcasing Guilin's cultural heritage to the world. (Wang Gongxiao, Xiao Fan)