A group of spirited performers takes to the stage, during the opening ceremony of the eighth Hai'an Rural Tourism Festival. [Photo/CFP]

The eighth Hai'an Rural Tourism Festival and the sixth Duntou Lotus Art Festival kicked off at Lebainian town in Hai'an – a county-level city administered by Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province – on Oct 23.

Sponsored by the Hai'an municipal government and themed on "culture, tourism, agriculture", the event runs through to Oct 30.

Cao Cheng, vice mayor of Hai'an, delivered a keynote speech in which he talked about the city's development of rural tourism. Located in southeastern Jiangsu, Hai'an is well-known for its education, equipment manufacturing, textiles industry, silk industry and construction sector.

Focusing on its goal of developing as the "Hub Hai'an, Sci-tech New City", Hai'an has in recent years been committed to building itself into a dynamic metropolis renowned for its industry, culture, education, science and technology and first-class workforce.

The tourism industry is widely said to be on the rise, while the city's economic and social development continues to maintain an upward momentum.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), tourism projects in Hai'an received a total investment of 17 billion yuan ($2.66 billion). Nearly 15 million visitors made trips to the city, generating total revenue of some 23 billion yuan during the period.

For its part, Duntou town – administered by Hai'an city – has fully utilized its local agricultural and natural resources to develop the tourism industry and revitalize its economy in recent years.

The Duntou Lotus Art Festival has been held six times, which has made it a brand event for Hai'an and it is widely seen as being significant in promoting the region's integrated development of tourism and agriculture.

Kids get a kick out of the appealing things for sale at the festival. [Photo/CFP]