Who met, and where
Scholars and cultural experts from across the Yangtze River basin met in Nanjing on November 10 to discuss the river's cultural heritage and how it might be preserved and brought to life for new generations. The Publicity Department of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee hosted the event, which the Nanjing Yangtze River Culture Institute and other partners organised under the theme "One River, a Shared Heritage: Embracing a New Era." Participants represented traditions from Bashu, Yunnan–Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi–Anhui and the lower Yangtze region.
Two documents released
The meeting marked the release of the 2026 Blue Book on Yangtze River Culture and of a report assessing cultural development in cities along the river, according to the announcement.
Part of the programme afloat
Organisers moved part of the programme off land. Participants departed from Zhongshan Wharf by boat and passed the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, Pukou Wharf and Nanjing Xinjizhou National Wetland Park, with presentations on board and introductions to sites along the route. The organisers described the journey as a way to examine how the city is researching, preserving and sharing the river's cultural legacy.
Work along the banks
Nanjing has in recent years sought to restore the river's natural environment while protecting heritage along its banks, with formerly industrial stretches of waterfront gradually giving way to greener public spaces. Yangtze River Ecological Park and Xinjizhou Wetland now form part of a connected ecological corridor, and the population of Yangtze finless porpoises has been steadily recovering, the release said. Work is also progressing on the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park.