Street artists have a ball at Beijing's Shunyi festival

The street art festival has helped the area attract more visitors. When it was first staged last year, visitor numbers grew by 48 percent compared to the previous year.

Over the first weekend, more than 150,000 visitors attended the festival, an increase of 25 percent over the same period last year.

"The festival has played a positive role in attracting visitors from far away," Zhao says.

All the street artists were given a pass to perform in the zone at any time, and will receive free drinks from neighborhood cafes and catering outlets when they return. They also have a QR code that allows them to receive tips from the audience.

"The idea is to generate a sense of inclusion, and hopefully more artists will use the event as a platform to display their talents," Zhao says.

Zeng has seen the growing potential of street art and its development at the festival.

"I was surrounded by crowds," he says. "People were very friendly and I could see they really appreciated my performance."

Zeng adds that he will participate again in the future, if the opportunity arises.