The Grand Canal of China spans 3,200km and has a history of more than 2,500 years, making it the biggest, longest and most enduring canal in the world. It can be described as a treasure of Chinese civilization and an epic passed down on the vast land of China, continuing to play an important role to this day. 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of China's successful bid to inscribe the Grand Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Over the past decade, new progress has been made in the preservation, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal. The eight provinces bordering the Grand Canal have built a splendid cultural belt, a green and ecological belt, and a colorful tourist belt along the canal, boasting countless breathtaking sights that witness the canal's history, current status and future. This ancient relic has renewed its charm after undergoing restoration and protection; the "new arrivals" in museums and the "talking" historical and cultural relics play a crucial role in preserving the culture of the Grand Canal. Let's delve into and draw inspiration from the long history, blend it with modern fashion, and create picture scrolls with our creativity.

What sparks will ignite when precious cultural relics and heritage inherited through a millennium collide with a canal chic?

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of China's successful bid to inscribe the Grand Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, China Daily Website launches Canal Chic: Reviving China's Heritage to call for creative visual works worldwide. Here is an announcement on submission details:

I. Activity Theme

The expected submissions are a range of creative visual products created through the visual collision and skillful blending of traditional culture and canal chic with the millennium Grand Canal as the central theme, cultural relics as the medium, and art as the bond. The aim is to vividly showcase the historical splendor of the Millennium Canal and the picturesque image of its clear waters and lush banks in the real world, making the cultural relics and heritage of the Grand Canal become chic and come alive.

II. Organizers

Host: China Daily Website

III. Intended Participants

Artists, painters, designers, art lovers, cultural and creative workers, and cultural institutions including museums, art galleries and universities globally are all welcome to participate.

IV. Types of Work

Visual works such as hand-drawn posters, GIFs, comics, illustrations and interactive works are acceptable.

V. Work Selection and Rewards

The host will invite prestigious expects to select excellent works, and the selected works will be both published on the China Daily Website and displayed offline; meanwhile, the creators of the selected excellent works will have the opportunity to take part in field research and creations, discussions and forums upon invitation.

VI. Contribution Requirements

(I) Work Requirements

1. The works should utilize cultural relics associated with the Grand Canal as creative materials, sourced from museums and cultural heritages in the eight provinces and municipalities along the Grand Canal: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

2. It is encouraged to submit works that blend cultural relics with canal chic and draw inspiration from history to create modern masterpieces.

3. Each work should indicate basic information such as title, origin and description of the cultural relic, including the historical background, cultural implication, artistic value and other elements of the cultural relic, as well as an explanation of the creative idea, all in 200 words.

(II) Types of Work

1. Hand-drawn posters, illustrations and comics

Format: JPG, vertical layout, 1080x1920 pixel, no less than 2MB per single file, resolution: 300 dpi.

2. GIFs

Format: MP4/GIF, no more than 30 seconds in length and 200MB in size. Recommended ratio: 9:16. Resolution: 1080x1920.

3.Interactive works displayed on the screen

This type of work may include symbols, emojis, software interfaces, APP and other software icons, interface interaction design, etc. The author needs to upload 3-5 pictures that reflect the complete effect of the work.

If a dynamic work is submitted, the author also needs to upload supporting materials such as the application link and demonstration video of the work.

Image Format: JPG, no less than 2MB per single file, resolution: 300 dpi.

Video Format: MP4, no more than 10 minutes in length and no less than 1080p in resolution. Recommended size: 16:9.

For the submission of visual works other than the types mentioned above, the original files that reflect the complete effect of the work must be uploaded. If there are multiple files, they should be compressed and uploaded in the zip format.

VII. Contribution Method

Submission Time: July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2024

To sign up for the activity, participants need to download and complete the registration form and send the registration form along with the work to the designated email:

Email for Submission: prcd@chinadaily.com.cn

Email Title: Canal Chic: Reviving China's Heritage + Name of Work + Type of Work

VIII. Instructions for Contributors

1.The contributor holds the independent, full, clear, and undisputed ownership, copyright and all other rights to the submitted work. The contributor shall not plagiarize, copy, or mimic the works of others, and any products of AI generation will be rejected. The submitted work shall not contain any information or take on any form that is illegal or against public order and good morals, and nor shall it infringe on any legitimate rights and interests of any third party, including but not limited to the copyright, right of portraiture, right of reputation, and privacy right. In the event of any violation of law or infringement, the contributor will be held solely responsible and rendered disqualified from selection.

2. The contributor must provide information including personal name and contact details, as well as name and description of the work truthfully. Submission under a pseudonym, alias, or anonymity is not allowed, and the content of the work must be truthful without any willful fabrication. Any participant who violates this rule will become disqualified from participation.

3. The contributor agrees and authorizes China Daily Website, in its capacity as the host, to utilize the selected works for purposes including but not limited to exhibitions, displays, publications, distribution, communication through information networks, promotion, advertising, use in other works, adaptation into videos, and other uses, public communication and so on. The rights to use the submitted work include but are not limited to reproduction, distribution, exhibition, screening, broadcasting, communication through information networks, adaptation, compilation and other copyrights, as well as authorization of other partners to use it in the same way as above. No additional remuneration will be paid for the uses listed above.

4. This activity is free of charge, and the submitted works will not be returned.

5. Upon submission, participants are considered to have read, acknowledged and accepted all the terms outlined in this activity program.

6. The host retains the right to interpret the rules of this activity to the extent permitted by law.

7. Contact details of the Organizing Committee of "Canal Chic: Reviving China's Heritage": 010-84883703, 010-84883737