The 3rd China Sun Simiao Chinese Medicine and Culture Festival, an event aimed at speeding up local economic and bio-environmental development, opened on Oct 13 in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, in Northwest China.

More than 300 officials, business people and experts from other provinces and regions, as well as guests from Central Asia and Europe are expected at the two-day festival, said He Shangmin, deputy mayor of the city and deputy director of the festival's executive committee.

The event is organized by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shaanxi provincial government and sponsored by Tongchuan city government and Shaanxi provincial health and family planning committee and Shaanxi sub-council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

The deputy mayor said that during the festival, a number of activities will be held to promote Sun Simiao's medical ethic and Chinese medicine, as well as medical culture.

Tongchuan is the hometown of Sun Simiao (581 – 682), a famous Chinese medical scientist and doctor, and hopes to further develop the medical industry and medical culture in order to change the heavy-polluted city that relies on coal and cement production.

In order to transform the city, the local government has been developing medical, tourism and forestry industries to improve the environment and create sustainable development, and the festival is one of its effort, He said.

During the event, a number of projects highlighting trade and cooperation focused on the city's transformation will also be held, the deputy mayor said.