On 3rd September, China Cultural Center in The Hague has successfully live-streamed the 2nd Grand Canal Expo via Facebook and Zoom. This is a further attempt in the post COVID-19 era in the field of cross-cultural communication, which enables the viewers overseas to enjoy the cultural and tourism activities in China in real time at the comfort of their homes.

The 2nd Grand Canal Expo is held from 3rd September to 7th September with the main venue in Wuxi city and the sub-venue in Huai'an city. With the theme of "Integration, Innovation, Sharing", the expo consists of seven sectors involving 15 key activities, including nighttime visits on the Grand Canal, an opening ceremony, stage performances, exhibitions, forums, cultural heritage items displays in the sub-venue, and interactive activities.

Live screen by China Cultural Center in The Hague

Before the opening ceremony, guests from both China and foreign countries were invited to take a night cruise on the Jiangnan Boat, watched colorful live performances and light shows on both sides of the canal, and enjoyed the unique charm of cultural and tourism activities on the ancient canal of the Jiangnan, including silk and bamboo, painting projection, dragon and phoenix auspicious, "embroiderer" dance and Wu song duet.
 

The Netherlands, lying at the other end of the continent, also shares a long history with canals. During the Dutch Golden Age, the dense network of canals played an irreplaceable role in facilitating trade and commerce. Even today, when the canals are no longer the primary means of trade, there is flower boat parade every summer, people dress in traditional Dutch costumes, dancing and singing. The exceptional role of the canals in the Dutch cultural landscape is evident from this.

For both Holland and China, the canals carry not only the glorious and brilliant traces of a past era, but also signify the course of development in economy and cultural exchange of a nation. China Cultural Center in The Hague is hoping that by presenting The 2nd Grand Canal Expo cultural and tourism activities to the Dutch viewers, it will foster exchanges and cooperation between China and the Netherlands in diverse fields in the future.

Special thanks to:
Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism,
Wuxi Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism
ourjiangsu.com