The China National Tourism Administration recently held a meeting on a plan that involves the participation of six regions to make the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal a green travel route.

It is reported that the plan will focus on four concepts — protection, harmony, experience, and thought — and the parties concerned will work together to explore the rich Canal culture and provide diversified travel products for tourists. They will also link the development of each section of the Grand Canal to stimulate the tourism development of regions along the Canal.

At 1,794 kilometers in length, the Grand Canal is known as the longest artificial river in the world. Starting from Beijing in the north and ending in Hangzhou in the south, the Canal goes through six regions: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Earlier this year, an initiative was launched to protect and develop the Canal.