A host of colorful cultural activities are staged in the park during the event. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

The 2021 China Hai'an 523 Culture Art Festival and the One Belt and One Road International Culture Exchange Festival was held in the county-level city of Hai'an – administered by Nantong city, in East China's Jiangsu province – on May 22.

The Hai'an 523 Cultural Industrial Park is a large cultural facility that combines aesthetic education, an art gallery, leisure tourism and foreign trade. It has held the 523 culture art festival 10 times now, as well as over 50 art exhibitions. It was previously rated as a national demonstration base for the cultural industry.

During the one-day event, a host of international and local cultural delights was staged in the park. In addition to Mongolian dance and Russian ballet, Hai'an handicrafts such as paper-cutting and wood carvings caught the eyes of visitors.

More than 230 domestic and overseas cultural and art works were displayed in the exhibition hall, 120 of which were from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Zimbabwe, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Mongolia and Afghanistan.

There was also a meeting held to boost the development of the city's cultural industry. During the festival's opening ceremony, 12 projects valued at 5.8 billion yuan ($907.5 million) were signed.

One of them, (check) the planned Lifa Ancient Town International Resort, with investment totaling 4 billion yuan, will be built in two phases.

Breaking ground in the second half year of 2021, on completion the resort is expected to help boost cultural spending and the nighttime economy in Hai'an.