The awards ceremony of the First Canal Theme International Micro Film Festival took place in Yangzhou, the birthplace of the Grand Canal, Oct 11. 

Chronicles of Chinese Canals and The Grand Canal, two videos produced by Phoenix Publishing and Media Group (PPMG) and its subsidiaries, were awarded honorary titles.

Chronicles of Chinese Canals

The 26-minute-long documentary, Chronicles of Chinese Canals, was co-designed by PPMG, Nanjing-based daily Xiandai Kuaibao (Modern Express) and Phoenix Science Press Ltd. 

Inspired from serial books with the same title, the documentary took a retrospective look at the compilation and publishing of the chronicles, explaining how more than 100 experts were engaged from 2012 in the project to produce nine excellent volumes containing more than 15 million words. 

The shooting team, started from Shaoxing, the southernmost city of the Grand Canal in Zhejiang province, trudged over 1,000 kilometers in four months, before finally arriving at the far northern end of the canal in Beijing. 

Cameras have captured the profound culture along the canal – legacies of ancient wisdom, and also cradles of modern prosperity.

The Grand Canal

The 30-minute-long micro film, Grand Canal, produced by Jiangsu People's Publishing Ltd, was adapted from the book A General History of Chinese Buddhism. It tells the story of Ennin, an eminent Japanese monk who trekked all the way to China to study Buddhism more deeply during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). 

The film was uniquely designed to display the culinary, transport and cultural aspects of the Grand Canal, unveiling its history and development over the centuries. 

A total of 1,837 films from home and abroad were submitted to the festival, telling the stories of canal cities and showcasing the beauty of canals, with 37 of them being nominated and 15 winning awards.