At the invitation of Sharon Leighton, chair of 2017 World Canals Conference, Zhou Bin, president of Phoenix Publishing and Media Group (PPMG), headed a delegation to the conference, which kicked off in Syracuse, New York on Sept 24.

Zhou made a speech at the five-day event which brought together canal experts from three continents and 14 countries to discuss ways to improve waterways through economic development, tourism and cultural heritage initiatives.

PPMG is pushing forward a publishing project titled "Annals of China's Canals". Zhou stressed that the publishing project is aimed at showcasing the history and culture of China's Grand Canal and filling the void in compiling and publishing annals of China's canals.

Chinese President Xi places high premium on the construction of Grand Canal culture belt and underscores that the Grand Canal is a great heritage our ancestors bestowed on us，and a vibrant culture we should protect, inherit and make good use of, Zhou noted. He expressed PPMG wish to conduct cooperation and exchanges with international canal experts and make joint efforts to carry forward canal culture.

According to Zhou, PPMG has huge financial investment into the project including another titled "Annals of China's Great Wall", noting that as a world-class publishing company, PPMG is ready to bear the responsibility of protecting cultural heritages of the mankind.

During the conference, Zhou also met with senior experts including David Edwards-May, president of Inland Waterways International (IWI), Dave Ballinger, former president of IWI and Dave MacDougall, secretary-general of IWI.

They exchanged ideas on the cooperation between PPMG and the World Canals Conference. During the meeting, Phoenix Science Press, PPMG's subsidiary, issued letters of appointment of international consultants for the "Annals of China's Canals" project. The international consultants will offer advice on the publishing and international cooperation of the project.

During their stay in Syracuse, the PPMG delegation also met with senior officials from world-renowned canal heritage organizations and reached agreements on cooperation in the publishing of documents on canal heritage.

The delegation also paid a visit to the Erie Canal Museum and Rideau Canal Museum to learn about the design and construction, historical development of the two canals, which provides an international perspective for the publishing of Annals of China's Canals.