The 10th Chinese Painting Festival opened on Dec 27 in Weifang, Shandong province, exhibiting the works of more than 1,000 Chinese painters.

The 13th China (Weifang) Culture and Art Fair and the fifth China (Weifang) Folk Art Expo also opened that same day.

The painting festival consists of an exhibition of Chinese paintings, watercolor paintings, and contemporary art, as well as a series of supporting activities.

Weifang has been ramping up efforts to build itself into a cultural powerhouse, and it is currently home to nearly 20 cultural and artistic markets, as well as more than 2,000 art galleries, art museums, calligraphy works, and painting studios with an annual turnover of more than 30 billion yuan ($4.59 billion).

Visitors admire works on display at the 10th Chinese Painting Festival in Weifang, Shandong province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Works created by more than 1,000 painters are exhibited at the Chinese Painting Festival in Weifang. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A series of cultural exhibitions are underway in Weifang, Shandong province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A visitor poses for photo in front of paintings. [Photo/sdchina.com]