Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang Province, where literary great Lu Xun lived for one-third of his life, will hold the first Lu Xun Culture and Arts Festival on October 16 as a preface to next year's Seventh Chinese Arts Festival.

The Seventh Chinese Arts Festival, originally set to be held in Zhejiang in October this year with Shaoxing as the home of the closing ceremony, had to be postponed due to SARS.

The Lu Xun cultural event, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Zhejiang provincial government, will reflect his living environment and show plays adapted from his works.

Six traditional plays will be staged at the Shaoxing Grand Theatre, which was completed with an investment of 300 million yuan (US$36 million).

As a literary giant in China, Lu Xun (1881-1936), has made Shaoxing, his birthplace, known to the world through his novels.

"The Chinese people have a deep love for him," said Yuan Changshou, director of the festival committee.

The one-week event, which will be held biennially in the future, will be backed by a project to refurbish Lu's old residence and the street where he lived.

The project will be launched in phases with a total of 1 billion yuan (US$121 million) to be spent.

The first phase will be finished in May, said Shao Tiantian, director of the Shaoxing cultural department.

"We will try to restore the old style of Lu's residence and the street by repairing the damaged parts," Shao said.

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