The provincial tourism administration of Jiangsu Province in east China announced that the country's main celebration activities for the 26th World Tourism Day will be staged in Lianyungang this September.

World tourism day September 27 every year. The theme this year focuses on "sports and tourism -- a force promoting mutual understanding as well as cultural and social development."

Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qufu and other tourism resort cities have previously been chosen as the venues for hosting celebration activities before the tourism day, the tourism administration said.

Lianyungang, known as the head of the Asian-European Continental Bridge, will launch a series of celebration activities including the Asian-European Continental Bridge international tourism festival, Russia-Liangyungang tourism week, Buddhist culture tourism week, crystal festival and maritime cultural festival.

Lianyungang is a famous tourism resort city in China, which boasts cliff-carving Buddhist statues dating from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) and the Huaguoshan Hill, a famous scenic spot vividly depicted in the famous Chinese literary work "Journey to the West."
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2005)