Move in line with Xi's calls to protect, continue heritage of iconic waterway

China plans to construct national parks with Yangtze River culture as their theme, as part of efforts to preserve the waterway's cultural heritage.

The parks will help implement President Xi Jinping's instructions on protecting the culture of the Yangtze River.

The central leading group on promoting national culture parks has issued a circular on the parks' construction, requiring relevant government bodies and regions to begin work on the projects, according to a media statement released on Monday.

The parks will be located in the 13 provincial-level regions in the Yangtze basin.

Coordinating relevant central government bodies, the central leading group will establish a working mechanism to map out construction and preservation plans, the statement said. Guidance will also be offered to local authorities on drafting regional plans.

"As the country's longest watercourse, the Yangtze River, together with the Yellow River, are dubbed the Chinese nation's mother rivers," the release said. The construction of the parks will have "far-reaching significance in helping display the splendid Chinese civilization to the world," the statement added.

In late 2020, Xi chaired a symposium in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, on advancing development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Noting that the Yangtze River is an icon of the country and symbol of Chinese civilization, Xi called for protecting, inheriting and carrying forward Yangtze River culture, as well as protecting its cultural relics and heritage.

In addition to the Yangtze River parks, the government also plans to build at least four national cultural parks.

In late 2019, the central authorities made public plans for the construction and preservation of national cultural parks based on three themes－the Great Wall, the Grand Canal and the Long March, vowing to complete most of the construction by the end of 2023.

At the end of 2021, Beijing authorities unveiled planning for construction of the section of the Great Wall national park that falls under its jurisdiction. Aside from mapping out the protection areas, the Beijing municipal government will upgrade the China Great Wall Museum, renovate the Jiankou section, and launch a series of cultural celebration events.

The country will also construct Yellow River national culture parks, according to the Communist Party of China Central Committee's proposals on the blueprint for China's development in the next 15 years.

To facilitate the construction of national culture parks, an expert committee was established in February 2021.

Consisting of 81 scholars and specialists from various fields including history, culture and tourism, the committee is expected to offer suggestions on policies and decision-making for development of the cultural parks, assess cultural park development plans submitted by regional authorities and conduct relevant research.