The first episode of a cultural promotional series — The Beauty of the Grand Canal, produced by the Hangzhou municipal publicity department in Zhejiang province — was released recently to explore the charm of the centuries-old canal from the perspective of foreigners.

Wednesday marked the eighth anniversary of the Grand Canal's addition to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

Chantel Van der Merwe, a student from South Africa currently studying at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, along with Tom, a Briton who teaches English at a university in Hangzhou, were invited to a video shoot .

They immersed themselves in the daily lives of people living on both sides of the canal, experienced the ancient culture that has survived the centuries, explored the application process for the canal to become a World Cultural Heritage site and felt the emotional connection between local residents and the canal.

The video will be promoted on a variety of foreign-oriented media platforms, including the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, China Daily, China News Service and Zhejiang TV International Channel.

Promotional videos on West Lake and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City will be released on June 24 and July 6, their respective anniversaries of being added to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Watch the video to discover the charm of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou.

Zhang Xiang and Fang Xiaoying contributed to this story.