The second Cross-Strait Cultural Industries Fair will be held from October 28 to November 1, at Xiamen city of southeast Fujian Province, according to a press conference Monday.

The fair will be joined by entertainment, TV and movie companies from Taiwan as well as local opera, stone carving and paper cutting related companies from Fujian, said Luo Jian, deputy secretary general of Fujian provincial government at the conference.

The fair is the only comprehensive cultural fair held jointly by the mainland and Taiwan. The first one was organized in November last year.

"Such fairs can be a great help for the improvement of the cultural industries exchanges for the two sides," Luo said.

During the five days' period, the two sides will also launch book fairs, folk arts festivals, singing competitions and rock music festivals, he said.

Zhan Cangzhou, vice mayor of Xiamen city said at the conference that so far 272 Taiwan companies claimed to join the fair, occupying up to 30 percent of all exhibition booths.

The fair will be held by the government of Xiamen city, as well as some cultural organizations from both the mainland, such as China Friendship Association of Cultural Circles, and Taiwan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2009)