The 2019 China Grand Canal International Piano Festival and Lang Lang Piano Competition conclude in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on May 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The 2019 China Grand Canal International Piano Festival and Lang Lang Piano Competition concluded with a grand closing performance in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on May 10.

Running from May 5 to 11, the week-long festival put the spotlight on the preservation and inheritance of the Grand Canal culture and included a series of cultural activities, competitions, concerts and speeches.

As a major part of the festival, the Lang Lang Piano Competition attracted nearly 1,000 piano lovers from all over the world, 28 of whom made it to the final. The competition included a children's group, junior group and professional group.

Lang Lang addresses the closing ceremony of the 2019 China Grand Canal International Piano Festival and Lang Lang Piano Competition in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on May 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

"Though the festival is coming to an end, my bond with Hangzhou will be much closer than ever before," said Lang Lang at the closing ceremony, adding that he hopes that Hangzhou will become an international music capital and an ideal place for music lovers from across the world.

He noted that his studio, Lang Lang Art World, which settled along the bank of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, will strive to become a window for international musical exchange, with an array of activities such as piano training sessions, piano academic learning, Grand Canal culture and the industrial development of the international music industry.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world, was listed as a UNESCO heritage site five years ago. Built over 1,000 years ago, the canal is still in use today and plays an important role in China's waterway network.

The prize winners of the Lang Lang Piano Competition and performances pose for a group photo at the closing ceremony of the 2019 China Grand Canal International Piano Festival and Lang Lang Piano Competition in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on May 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]