Artists showcase Grand Canal-inspired works in Beijing

The Artworks Exhibition of Canal Chic: Reviving China's Heritage, showcasing dozens of paintings, illustrations and posters themed on the Grand Canal, was launched with a sharing seminar on Wednesday at the Kerry Center in Beijing.

The exhibition, running until Jan 24, is the result of a worldwide campaign organized by China Daily Multimedia to promote the Grand Canal through art. It is part of a large-scale celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of the world's longest man-made waterway being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ke Rongyi, president of China Daily Multimedia and director of China Daily New Media Center, said at the launch that the campaign has received warm responses from artists at home and abroad since its launch in July.

More than 150 artworks were selected through an online open call and two cultural tours, to Yangzhou and Xuzhou in Jiangsu province and Luoyang in Henan province, where creatives delved into the roots of the ancient artificial waterway by visiting museums and talking to heritage experts and inheritors, he said.