The 16th China Huadian White Birch Festival kicks off in Huadian, Northeast China's Jilin province, with an opening ceremony held on July 1. In an attempt to boost the local tourism industry, this year's event will have a series of 12 activities including an opening ceremony, a 1,000-person qipao show, a tourism industry development summit forum, as well as painting, calligraphy and photography exhibitions. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An artistic performance is staged at the opening ceremony, July 1. This year, Huadian city has launched six boutique "red tourism" routes. From January to May, tourists made a total of 213,000 visits to the city and the tourism revenue was 139.4 million yuan ($21.52 million). [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An artistic performance featuring Korean music and dancing is staged during the opening ceremony, July 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An artistic performance in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is staged, July 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An artistic performance pays tribute to the CPC, July 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]