Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, and Mr. Tan Pichuang, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Jointly Launched the 2024[...]

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Lingqu Canal Forum was held on 26^th July in Xing'an County, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Domestic and international guests jointly discussed the protection and inheritance of canal culture, and gathered their wisdom to promote the application of Lingqu Canal for the World Cultural Heritage and prepare for the 2026 World Canal Congress.

Lingqu Canal is an artificial canal known as the "pearl of ancient water architecture in the world". It has a history of more than 2200 years and is the oldest and most well-preserved artificial canal in the world today. It plays an important role in connecting the ancient Maritime Silk Road and facilitating communication between China and foreign countries.

At the invitation of the Guilin Municipal People's Government, Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO East Asia Regional Office, together with Mr. Tan Pichuang, Vice Governor of Guangxi Autonomous Region, Mr. Li Chu, Mayor of Guilin City etc. launched the 2024 Lingqu Canal Forum and delivered a speech on the theme of "Water Heritage Conservations and Cultural Diversity for Sustainable Development". He introduced UNESCO and its Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), culture and the values of water, world heritage linking with water, water and cultural diversity, water in historic cities, and the challenges we face.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan, , Director of the UNESCO East Asia Regional Office is delivering a keynote speech

Mr. Tan Pichuang, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Mr. Li Chu, Mayor of Guilin City, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Tan Pichuang pointed out that the canal is a legend of water, a carrier of civilization, and a symphony of history. Guangxi is located along the coast, along the river, along the border, across the Pearl, the Yangtze, and the southwest river basins, with developed water systems. Guangxi has the natural advantage of building a canal. The Lingqu Canal runs through the north and south, connects the inside and outside, and plays an important role in promoting cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and Lingnan, China, and the world. I hope the forum can deeply explore the cultural connotations of Lingqu Canal, adhere to the equal emphasis on protection and development, accelerate archaeology and research, promote the application of Lingqu Cana for World Cultural Heritage, and tell the story of Lingqu Canal well; Continuously polishing the world-class business card of Lingqu Canal, building a "Great Lingqu Canal" pattern, promoting the integration of culture and tourism, and enhancing its influence; Jointly promote the innovative development of the canal, establish a communication platform, strengthen digital empowerment, promote green technology, achieve sustainable development, and build a new model of water transport that promotes harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Mr. Tan Pichuang, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is delivering an opening speech

Mr. Li Chu, the Mayor of Guilin City, stated that the Lingqu Canal gathers advanced ancient water transport and water technologies, showcasing the superb wisdom of the ancient Chinese people. It has high research value in water transport, military affairs, promoting ethnic integration, and the integration of Central Plains culture and Lingnan culture.

Mr. Li Chu, Mayor of Guilin City is delivering an opening speech

This forum adopts an offline approach, with the theme "The History and Future of Canal Culture". In the keynote speech section, Chinese and foreign guests have in-depth exchanges on the historical functions and future development of the Lingqu Canal, focusing on "Inheritance, Sharing and Innovative Development of Canal Heritage", "Water Transport Inheritance and Sublimation", "Water Resources Experience and Practice under Sustainable Background", and exploring how to make the millennium ancient Lingqu Canal shine with new vitality in the new era.

In recent years, Guilin has made the protection and upgrading of the Lingqu Canal a key project in building a world-class tourist city. The " Lingqu Canal Protection Regulations of Guilin City " have been promulgated and implemented, and the Lingqu Canal Museum and Lingqu Canal Research Association have been established. Efforts have been made to do a good job in heritage protection, cultural inheritance, and dynamic utilization, making the "pearl of ancient water architecture in the world" shine even more brilliantly.

After the opening ceremony, Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, attended an interview with Guilin Television, he said "Guilin is a city that cooperates very closely with UNESCO. In the Guilin water system, I see the integration of water, culture, water transport, and history. More than 2200 years ago, ancient Chinese people had already connected multiple water systems with wisdom, and the scientific management of water systems enabled sustainable development on both sides of the Lingqu Canal.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan is attending an interview with Guilin TV

Before the Lingqu Canal forum, on 25^th July, the Mayor of Guilin City, Mr. Li Chu met with Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, and some distinguished guests attending the 2024 Lingqu Canal Forum. They had friendly exchanges on Lingqu Canal protection and cooperation.

Mr. Li Chu, Mayor of Guilin City, welcoming Prof. Shahbaz Khan

Mr. Li Chu welcomed Prof. Shahbaz Khan and the guests. He said that UNESCO has a deep connection with Guilin City, and the "Guilin Mountains and Rivers" have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO has also established the International Karst Research Center in Guilin. As the "pearl of ancient water architecture in the world", Lingqu Canal is not only a crystallization of human wisdom, but also a bridge connecting history and the future. I hope that all guests will take this forum as an opportunity to actively provide suggestions and recommendations on the protection and improvement of the Lingqu Canal, preparations for the 2026 World Canal Congress, and jointly promote Guilin as an important window for the world to understand canal culture.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan highly praised Guilin's natural beauty and cultural heritage, and expressed the willingness of UNESCO to cooperate with Guilin City. He proposed that both sides could cooperate in multiple fields such as sustainable development, humanity education, research on the history and culture of Lingqu Canal, and water resource protection, to jointly promote the protection and inheritance of global cultural heritage.

Mr. Li Chu, Mayor of Guilin City meeting with Prof. Shahbaz Khan and some distinguished guests attending the forum

Read more: What we do in Water Sciences

Water systems are crucial to human well-being and cultural development. UNESCO, as the only United Nations specialized agency with a specific mandate to promote water science, continues to play a pivotal role, through its International Hydrological Programme (IHP), in assisting and guiding Member States in water-related scientific, conservation, protection, managerial and policy issues.

Within the framework of the ninth phase of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP-IX) and its Strategic Plan and recognizing the importance of the cultural values, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia supports integrating sociocultural dimensions in water resources management and enhancing public awareness towards sustainable water culture and water management. Our work focuses cover world heritage linking with water, water and cultural diversity, etc.