The 20th Calligraphy Sage Culture Festival of Linyi started on Sept 4 in Linyi, East China's Shandong province, the birthplace of the great Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi.

The 20th Calligraphy Sage Culture Festival of Linyi officially begins on Sept 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Running from Sept 4 to Oct 7, the festival offers 28 activities across four main categories: art exhibitions, cultural workshops, markets for cultural products, and public events like calligraphy competitions. This diverse lineup aims to create a vibrant cultural experience for the city's residents.

A primary school student participates in the calligraphy competition, a highlight of the 20th Calligraphy Sage Culture Festival of Linyi, on Sept 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ren Gang, Party secretary of Linyi, said at the opening ceremony that Linyi hopes to utilize the calligraphy festival as a platform to explore the city's cultural heritage, innovate traditional culture's modern transformation, and bring it to life through cross-industry collaboration, all contributing to a culturally vibrant city.

According to Ren, Linyi is leveraging its local culture to boost urban development, integrating commerce, tourism, and cultural industries.

Since 2003, the Calligraphy Sage Culture Festival of Linyi has been held annually for 20 years, attracting over 1,300 businesses and 5 million participants to attend related activities.

Over the years, the festival has evolved into a highly influential and widely recognized cultural event, emerging as a prominent cultural symbol of Linyi.

Linyi is now home to 289 large cultural and tourism enterprises, along with 11 provincial-level production bases. Efforts are being concentrated on strengthening Linyi's cultural tourism brand.