Members of the media called for the promotion of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal culture and explored an innovative approach to help it go global at a forum on Sept 24.

A key part of the Beijing-Hangzhou Dialogue on the Grand Canal, which was held from Wednesday to Sunday in the Chinese capital, the media forum discussed how to innovate promotion of the Grand Canal culture using new media in a bid to increase its international profile.

China News Service, as well as its affiliated China News Weekly, has been exploring how to make intellectual property of the Grand Canal culture known to the world, like that of the Palace Museum and the Great Wall, Xia Chunping, deputy editor-in-chief of the news agency, told the forum.

"Through innovative and inspiring publicity campaigns and promotional platforms, we hope to add to the charm of the ancient canal, getting more young people to fall in love with it," Xia said.

Li Gao, deputy head of the Zhejiang Provincial Publicity Department, said: "We are in an era of thriving culture, technological changes and an inclusive society, which provides a vast world for experts, scholars and media organizations from home and abroad to ride a wave of new media forms and present the Grand Canal's appeal."

He encouraged more coverage in various forms to attract attention to the canal and called on more people to join the efforts in inheritance and innovation of the Grand Canal culture.

Zhang Yiqun, head of the international promotion division of the Beijing Publicity Department, said at the forum that the Grand Canal is a "corridor" of sightseeing, development and an inclusive culture.

In the new era, the promotion and development of the Grand Canal culture needs joint efforts by various sectors, she said, adding that the use of innovative campaigns is conducive to keeping the canal culture alive in contemporary society, open to the world and connecting China with the overseas.

Lyu Zhenya, editor-in-chief of China News Weekly, said the 2020 Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Dialogue is a new expression of the canal culture.

During the event, cultural experts provided insights and inspirations, Chinese and foreign media workers worked together to promote the canal culture via innovative forms on new platforms, Lyu said.

Xia Yanping, a senior editor at Zhejiang Radio & TV Group, who has directed a documentary on the Grand Canal, said the river has a wealth of cultural heritage to be discovered by the world.