In March 2006, 58 members of the CPPCC jointly submitted a proposal to the Fourth Session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee, calling for the strategic launch of rescue and protection work for the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and at the appropriate time Apply for a World Heritage Project.

In April 2011, the "Grand Canal Protection and World Heritage Application Work Conference" was held in Yangzhou. The countdown to the Grand Canal's World Heritage application has begun - 35 provinces in 8 provinces including Beijing and Henan along the Grand Canal The city's Grand Canal heritage will be declared a World Heritage Site as a whole and strive to be included in the World Heritage List in 2014.