The systematic collection of historical memories surrounding the Yangtze River has been fully initiated. This initiative aims to strengthen the historical narrative chain of Yangtze River shipping, addressing the lack of micro-level scenes and practical details commonly missing from written records.

The Changjiang River Administration of the Ministry of Transport has issued a work plan for the systematic collection of oral history for Yangtze River shipping, covering the period from 2026 to 2030. The plan targets the creation of a replicable and scalable standardized model for industry oral archives by 2030. It envisions a complete workflow system encompassing "collection, verification, archiving, compilation and research, and dissemination."

Through the Yangtze River Memory Systematic Collection Campaign, a variety of outcomes will be produced, including oral history compilations, multimedia cultural products, and academic research papers. These efforts will pioneer new methods for gathering, preserving, and utilizing historical archival resources from Yangtze River shipping. The initiative will provide factual support for industry chronicles, shipping history research, worker ideological and political education, and the development of the industry's culture.

The collection campaign covers the entire Yangtze River basin and all sectors of the shipping industry. It establishes a dynamically updated list of collection themes based on three dimensions: people, time, and events. This list includes 22 key focus areas, such as institutional reform, maritime supervision, waterway construction, Three Gorges navigation, and smart shipping.

The primary subjects for collection are participants, witnesses, and those who experienced major events in the industry's development. The collection will be conducted in a categorized and orderly manner, with priority given to interviewing senior shipping figures to uncover historical gems. Simultaneously, contemporary industry practitioners, managers, and officials will be regularly interviewed to document the great efforts and vivid practices of the new era on the Yangtze River.

The campaign also widely solicits physical materials held by individuals, such as photos, work manuscripts, blueprints, and tools. All collected materials will form a comprehensive "audio-video + written transcript + physical object" archive, which will be systematically organized and preserved.