Student volunteers explain the history of the Grand Canal to visitors at the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on June 16. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The third Grand Canal World Cultural Heritage Conservation Week opened in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on June 15.

As this is the 5th year since the Grand Canal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, a flurry of cultural and culinary activities were staged to explore the profound history and cultural traditions of the Grand Canal.

Since 2017, Hangzhou has hosted the Grand Canal World Cultural Heritage Conservation Week once a year.

Stretching for 3,200 kilometers, the world's longest artificial waterway has a history of more than 2,500 years.