ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 12 -- A central Chinese city is preparing to apply for World Heritage status for its 1,500-km canal dug on steep crags by thirsty villagers, half a century ago.

Officials in Linzhou City, Henan Province, are now collecting the material needed for a formal application to list the Red Flag Canal, which they say has inspired generations of Chinese with a spirit of hard work and devotion.

The canal was carved out on the Taihang mountains in the 1960s, after villagers mobilized themselves for the project to ensure the water supply to drought-ridden Linzhou. No heavy machinery was used in digging the waterway, whose length exceeds the distance between London and Vienna.

The canal was initially designed to be used for 20 years, but is still in service.

A Linzhou committee on the application said they hope to list the 70-km main stretch of the channel for inscription. The application will bring better protection to the canal and promote it worldwide.