NANNING -- China's 2014 national gymnastics championships will be held on May 14 in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

About 500 athletes, coaches, referees and officials will join in the five-day championships, which also serves as the test event for World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, said the organizer.

"The event will be held according to the world championships standards to test our work, like the stadiums and facilities and event organization," said Huang Hai, deputy secretary-general of Nanning Municipal Government.

Huang said the opening ceremony will display Guangxi's cultural characteristics using ethnic elements like the bronze drum and xiuqiu, a ball made of strips of silk.

The 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held in October next year in Nanning.