The performers of Meet the Grand Canal talk with audience members after a show in New York, Nov 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

China's dance performance to spread awareness of cultural heritages, Meet the Grand Canal, is touring the United States and Panama from Nov 7 to 20.

Presented by Hangzhou Opera and Dance Theater, the performance is an innovative show combining traditional and modern art forms to display the historic and cultural importance of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the longest man-made river in the world.

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, is at the southern end of the Grand Canal. Many wonderful events happened there over the centuries, and these stories and the different cultures involved are being shared with the world through the tour.

On Nov 10, the show was successfully staged at the New York State University and garnered cheers from the audience. Qian Jin, deputy consul general for China in New York, spoke highly of the performance: "It's a cultural expression for environmental protection and sustainable development and the theater gives full play to the value of the canal by virtue of art."

On the sidelines of the performance, the Chinese delegation of dancers, officials and media staff also paid visits to the Erie Canal, the headquarters of United Nations and local government departments to share ideas on protecting cultural heritages.

The Chinese delegation visits the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]