Haining, a city famous for its Qiantang tide, its leather industry and its celebrities, launched a tourism promotion conference under the theme of "Chao Charm of Haining" on Aug 27.

Hu Yanzi, vice-mayor of Haining city, delivers a speech at the tourism promotion held on Aug 27, 2014. [Photo/ Zhao Naicheng]

The city of "chao" – the Qiantang tide Chao literally means tide. The Qiantang River tide is among the world’s top three strong tidal bores, enjoying equal popularity with that of the Amazon River in South America and the Ganges River in India. It attracts numerous tourists every year, especially on Aug 18 of the lunar calendar, which is supposed to be the perfect time during the year to watch the river tide. The best location for tide watching is right in Yanguan town, Haining city.

During the tourism promotion, the city of Haining officially launched an invitation through the more than 50 network media to nationwide netizens to the 21st International Qiantang Tidal Bore Festival, which is to be held from Sept 6-15. There will be full live coverage of the event on CCTV and many other programs, such as a music party for tide watching in the night, a tide watching camping festival and folk culture performances.