Chongqing- An event about cultural heritage along the Yangtze River was officially launched Tuesday in Chongqing Municipality, located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze, the world's third-longest river, flows for 6,300 kilometers, and around 10 percent of the Yangtze River flows through Chongqing, measuring 691 kilometers.

The event named Exploration through a Millennium of Cultural Heritage in the Yangtze River Economic Belt was joined by Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan.

The event of Exploration through a Millennium of Cultural Heritage in the Yangtze River Economic Belt was officially launched on December 14, 2021. (iChongqing/ James Alexander)

A major highlight from the ceremony was a performance of a traditional Chuanjiang Haozi song that former trackers once sang as they pulled boats up against the current in teams. It is now a protected item of intangible cultural heritage.

Following the launch, two separate tour routes commenced for journalists to explore the riches of cultural heritage, with one tour focused on Dazu Rock Carvings and the Chongqing Urban Area, while the other takes in the distant counties of Wushan and Fengjie.

The launch ceremony for Exploration through a Millennium of Cultural Heritage in the Yangtze River Economic Belt featured an exciting boat tracker performance. (iChongqing/ James Alexander)

Highlights of this tour include ancient relics and neolithic Daxi culture on display at the Wushan Museum and the Piying paper-character shadow show that dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty.

Poetry will become the main tour theme in Fengjie with visits to the White Emperor City and the local Yusheng Community, where the art form has enjoyed a long-standing tradition of inheritance.