On September 21st, the 5th Grand Canal Cultural and Tourism Expo (hereinafter referred to as the "Expo"), guided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and hosted by the Propaganda Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, opened in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The theme performance of the opening ceremony was "Millennium Canal: A Collection of Traditional Chinese Opera". Eleven types of traditional Chinese opera from 8 provinces and cities along the canal were selected, and 15 winners of the "Plum Blossom Award" for Chinese opera were invited to perform the splendid culture of the Millennium Canal through a series of traditional Chinese opera performances. This year's Expo will last for 4 days and revolve around the theme of "Integration, Innovation, and Sharing". Through exhibitions, themed forums, interactive linkage, and other means, we will create a platform for the integrated development of cultural and tourism in cities along the Grand Canal, a platform for promoting cultural and tourism products, and a platform for sharing a better life. To assist Jiangnan water towns in jointly applying for World Cultural Heritage, from September to October, this year's Expo will select 5 to 8 ancient towns along the Suzhou section of the Grand Canal to tell the story of the canal from the perspective of ancient towns and launch canal themed tours. At the same time, an exhibition area for Canal Ancient Town will be set up at the Suzhou Pavilion of the Canal City Cultural and Tourism Boutique Exhibition, comprehensively showcasing the traditional culture and new features of Canal Ancient Town as a commercial town, cultural hub, and leisure ancient town. (New News Agency)