An aerial view of the Bihai Yinsha Scenic Area in Qidong, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_36f5c871cac4]

Qidong, located at the interaction of the Yangtze River, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, has been ramping up efforts to develop its cultural and tourism industries over the past decade.

In the past 10 years, Qidong Library, Qidong Culture and Sports Center, China Qidong International Printmaking Art Center and other landmark buildings featuring culture and tourism have been established.

By the end of 2021, the city's libraries had a collection of 1.48 million books, seven times the amount in 2012, and five new 24-hour urban libraries were built over the past 10 years.

In addition, the city has been striving to enhance its 178-kilometer coastline. Tourist attractions such as Jianghai Cultural Viewing Avenue, Bihai Yinsha Scenic Area, Gold Beach Scenic Area and Longwan Water Town have been built along the coastline.

Furthermore, by the end of 2021, the city established two "provincial-level most beautiful public cultural spaces", one 4A-level tourist scenic spot, six 3A-level tourist scenic spots, one provincial-level tourist resort, two provincial-level rural tourism key villages, three four-star tourist hotels, and one provincial-level boutique resort hotel.

Competitions such as the International Triathlon, the International Beach Volleyball Tournament, the 168-kilometer Tour of Qidong and the Windmill Festival at Golden Beach have been launched in Qidong, attracting an increasing number of tourists to the city.