The opening ceremony for the fifth Lotus Flower Art Festival is held in Duntou town, Hai'an on Sept 27. [Photo/VCG]

The fifth Lotus Flower Art Festival kicked off in Duntou town, Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong on Sept 27. The festival will run until Oct 10.

The festival, which was launched in 2016, is part of the town's efforts to boost its tourism industry.

Officials said this year's event is larger and has more celebrations than before. Lure fishing, water golf, horse show, fairs for local agricultural products and a photography competition will be held. 

Duntou town is long known as the land of "fish and rice", with 21 percent of its area submerged in water. Lotus grows in nearly 80 percent of its waterway.

The local Longlive Town project was also opened to the public on the same day. The provincial-level development project, which received 5 billion yuan ($724.5 million) in investment, consists of 15 themed parks.

Folk cultural performances are staged at the opening ceremony of the Lotus Flower Festival in Duntou town, Hai'an on Sept 27. [Photo/VCG]