The Shopping Festival of Chengdu 2010 had a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday evening in the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The Shopping Festival of Chengdu 2010 kicked off Wednesday evening in the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Sponsored by the Chengdu city government, the festival will last until July 23. It is the eighth shopping festival held in the city since Chengdu organized the first one in 2003.

"The festival has played a positive role in boosting domestic demand and consumption and making the market thrive," said Wang Zhonglin, deputy mayor of Chengdu.

For the first time, the festival includes top international brands for high-end fashion shopping, the deputy mayor said. The city will host a forum on June 26 for representatives of brands such as Louis Vitton, Versace, Po Platinum, BMW, Montblanc, Dior and Berlut, as well as officials from domestic high-end department stores, editors of fashion magazines and artists.