Officials announce the opening of Rugao's 8th Tourism and Culture Festival at Longyou Lake scenic area on April 27. [Photo/IC]

Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, announced the opening of its eighth tourism and culture festival at Longyou Lake scenic area on April 27.

The city will offer 26 activities during the festival, according to authorities.

During the opening ceremony, more than 100 tourist commodities, creative products, and intangible cultural heritage items were exhibited and sold. Some art performances were held as well.

In recent years, Rugao has put a lot of effort into developing its tourism sector by integrating it with things such as culture, agriculture, and health.

The city is currently home to two national 4A-level tourist attractions, nine 3A-level ones, one provincial five-star rural tourism area, and four four-star ones.

In 2018, the city received 13.4 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 10.5 percent, and earned 15.7 billion yuan ($2.33 billion) in revenue, an increase of 14.3 percent.

Rugao earned more than 3 billion yuan from rural tourism, providing job opportunities for more than 10,000 people and helping raise annual incomes.

A traditional Rugao puppet show is staged during the opening ceremony on April 27. [Photo/IC]

A tai chi performance is given during the opening ceremony for the tourism festival in Rugao, April 27. [Photo/IC]