Shop owners of Taiwan Town in Pingtan, Fujian province receive awards for best shops?at the closing ceremony of its first tourism and culture festival, Feb 21. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

The first tourism and culture festival, launched by the Taiwan Town in Pingtan, Fujian province came to an end on Feb 21, according to ptnet.cn.

A total of 60,000 people came to the town for shopping or traveling during the festival, said a local official.

The visitor boom was a direct result of the town's diverse activities and strong promotion, the official explained.

The activities included a folk music concert by famous Taiwan singers, a bamboo crafts show, a youth painting exhibition, a cross-Straits painting and calligraphy exhibition, local folk arts performances, a creative market, a lantern show and many others. The events combined commercial trade with cultural exchanges and were intended to introduce the folk culture on both sides of Taiwan Straits.

The town aligned with China's news portals such as Xinhua.net and People.cn to increase its national exposure and attract more visitors. It also launched an election campaign to select its best shops through WeChat, with 25 shops winning the awards.

The festival started on Jan 17 and?aimed to get more people to know Taiwan's tourism and culture, as well as promote cross-Straits cooperation and exchanges in economy and trade.