On July 20, 2022, the Launching Ceremony of China’s Grand Canal Overseas Tourism Promotion Season was held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China.

TURKEY AND TURKISH CULTURE INTRODUCED

The program was held in the city of Liaocheng, the confluence point of China's famous Yellow River and the canal, and was attended by Zhang Xu (Jang Shu), Deputy of KTB of the People's Republic of China, as well as senior local officials and members of the media. At the opening of the program, a speech and presentation were made on behalf of Yunus Emre Institute. Information about Turkey and Turkish Culture was given in the presentation.

The program took place with the organization of NICE (Network of International Cultural Link Entities), which is affiliated with China's cultural centers and tourism offices abroad and within the body of the Chinese KTB. After the program, members of the press interviewed Beijing Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Tayfun Kalkan.

The Grand Canal of China, which is still actively used today, is known as an important and historical waterway transportation work not only in China but also in the civilization journey of human history.

The Grand Canal of China, which dates back 1,500-2,000 years, has taken its place on the stage of history as the world's longest waterway built by human hands and still in active use today. Starting from Beijing, the canal connects China's most important cities and basins to each other via rivers and lakes and has not only been a center of fertility and agriculture but has also led to the emergence of a great cultural heritage in the historical process. Because of these features, the canal, along with dozens of historical and cultural monuments around it, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.  Shandong Province, which hosts a large part of the canal, is also the hometown of the philosopher Confucius, a representative of Chinese culture, and his follower Mencius. The region is also known as the place where the etiquette of ancient Chinese society was formed.