Lou Qinjian, secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, inspected the inaugural Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo that was held in Yangzhou from May 3 to 6.
As one of the key activities of the Expo, the Grand Canal Cultural Heritages Exhibition was put o show at the China Engraving and Printing Museum and the Yangzhou Museum. Among the exhibits were more than 300 pieces of collections from the six provinces and 19 cities along the Grand Canal.
Lou Qinjian learned in great detail about the cultural heritages that were bred along the canals in different periods and the cultural life of the canal behind the cultural heritages.
The fine heritages include the bronze gourd-shaped ladle of the warring states, China's heaviest single piece of gold, a Han Dynasty golden beast, a Tang Dynasty bronze mirror showing knights playing polo on horseback, the "Canal Atlas" depicting the entire line of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Qing Dynasty and many others. They silently reveal the impact of the Grand Canal on Chinese politics, economy, trade, science and technology, religion, culture and art over the centuries, and how the canal nourishes life on both sides.
At the Yangzhou Art Museum, the "Chinese Grand Canal Epic Scrolls - Special Exhibition of the Mid-Year Achievements of the 100-meter Long Scroll Art Collection" is on display. The painting is about 1 meter high and 46 meters long. 15 painters and painters from 7 provinces along the Grand Canal have been carefully created the masterpiece for 5 months. Through the vivid veins of the canal, the scattered cultural treasures are chained into the pearl necklaces.
Lou Qinjian spoke highly of the canal culture depicted in the scroll. The long scroll of the final draft is expected to reach nearly 2.4 meters high and 120 meters in length to become the largest piece of work on the theme of the canal created by domestic artists.
The CPC Provincial chief said that the 100-meter scroll is an important historical witness to the inheritance and development of the Grand Canal culture, adding that relevant departments and creators should tell a good story of the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal by using the most exquisite brushstrokes.
（source：ourjiangsu.com）
