The skyline of Chongqing near the Jialing River. [Photo/Xinhua]

Deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) have urged efforts to protect the rich cultural heritage of the Yangtze River.

Cao Qingyao, an NPC deputy from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, said the protection of the Yangtze River involves not only coordinated development of economic growth and environmental protection, but also preservation of its cultural heritage that has lasted for more than 1,000 years.

During this year's annual session of the national legislature, he submitted a suggestion for the development of national cultural parks, the Yangtze River cultural park being one of them.

Cao said he believes such an initiative will help both the people today and future generations better appreciate the importance of the waterway in the Chinese civilization and inspire their love and willingness to protect the river.

More than two months ago, the central leading group on the construction of the national cultural parks kicked off efforts to build parks along the river. The parks will be located in the 13 provincial-level regions in the Yangtze River basin.

To promote this program, Cao suggested a mechanism involving integration of resources in adjacent regions and cross-regional collaboration, where relics, culture, tourism and various industries along the river are effectively aligned. He also called for efforts to explore the sustainable development and operation of the parks, which, in his view, will inject new momentum to the high-quality growth of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a top development strategy of the country.

The Yangtze River is the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, NPC deputy Pu Binbin said, it's important to bring to life the historical and cultural resources of the river and elaborate its value in present-day life.

Endeavors should be made to rigorously enforce the Yangtze River conservation law, make the restoration of the ecological environment an overwhelming priority, strictly regulate development and construction projects, and set up a concerted, cross-regional management system, said Pu.

Wang Xiaowan, an NPC deputy and also chief of the Beibei section of Jialing River waterway management in Chongqing, said technological means, such as drones, unmanned boats and digital monitoring of key sections, have been employed to carry out regular patrols, which help obtain proof of ecological violations and facilitate the response of law enforcement departments in a timely manner.