Yanggu of Shandong: A Heroic Ancient City to Carry on the “Yellow River and Canal Culture”

Yanggu County, east China's Shandong Province, is the sole city at the intersection of the "Yellow River and Canal Cultural Tourism Belt". In recent years, the county has made great efforts to develop the cultural tourism brand of "Heroic Yanggu, a Pearl at the Yellow River and Canal" by taking the Yellow River and the Grand Canal as the link and promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism. To revitalize the cultural heritage of the "Yellow River and Canal", the county has strengthened its protection and utilization.

In recent years, preservation and exhibition projects have been carried out for various cultural relics related to the Yanggu section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, a world cultural heritage site. These include the remains of the Jingmen upper and lower water gates, Acheng upper and lower water gates, Taochengpu water gate, Canal Stone Bridge, Watergate Bridge, Zhangqiu Port, Qiji Port, as well as important cultural relics such as the salt transport department of Acheng, the Family Chen's former residence in Zhangqiu, and the Qiji Canal Ancient Street. The Chen's former residence has been transformed into the Yanggu Museum of Canal Culture, according to the News Office of the People's Government of Yanggu County.

By focusing on construction projects, the county aims to drive the development of the "Yellow River and Canal" cultural tourism industry. Since 2022, the county has submitted proposals for major projects, including the comprehensive development and construction of the ecological protection and culture and tourism integration of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park (Yanggu section of Huitong River), the transformation and upgrading of the Jingyang Hill tourist attraction, the construction of Yanggu Ancient City, and the construction of Chiyou Mausoleum Farming Cultural Park. These projects are part of the major construction project repository for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

Based on innovation and development, the county aims to integrate the cultural tourism resources of the "Yellow River and Canal". Yanggu County actively promotes the construction of the "Yellow River and Canal Cultural Tourism Belt", encouraging the innovative development of the Yellow River Culture and the Canal Culture. The county seeks to fully integrate into the tourism development layout of Shandong. With the support of core cultural tourism projects, revolutionary tourism routes, and the county's cultural resources, Yanggu has launched various travel routes, such as "revolutionary culture plus Yellow River culture", "revolutionary culture plus canal culture", and "revolutionary culture plus study tour".

Source: The News Office of the People's Government of Yanggu County