Dough sculptures from Nantong are on display at a promotional event in Shanghai on Sept 24. [Photo/IC]

A promotional event for Nantong culture and tourism was held at the Shanghai Grand Theater in Shanghai on Sept 24.

More than 400 government officials and representatives from scenic spots and travel agencies took part in the event, during which Nantong showcased its rich cultural and tourism resources through videos, folk performances, and exhibitions of local intangible cultural heritage items and special dishes.

The two cities signed two cooperation agreements to integrate their cultural and tourism resources, and Shanghai agreed to arrange for 10,000 locals to participate in the 2019 China Forest Tour Festival, which will open on Oct 18 in Nantong.

An intelligent cultural and tourism public service platform was also officially launched during the event.

Nantong, a famous historical city in the Yangtze River Delta region, is currently home to 52 A-level scenic spots, four provincial level tourist resorts, and 83 starred rural tourist resorts.

In recent years, the local government has been attaching great importance to the integrated development of its cultural and tourism industries.

The added value of the city’s cultural industry reached 43 billion yuan in 2018, with the number of tourists and total tourism revenue up more than 15 percent over the previous year.