Zhangjiagang is promoting local culture through its annual art festival, which kicked off on Friday.

Now in its 10th year, the Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival is an event where people can see shows by performers from Zhangjiagang and other cities along the river.

Dancers from northwestern Qinghai province perform in traditional Tibetan costumes during the Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the river's origin.

Holding a central place in Chinese culture, the 6,300-km-long river is the longest in the country and runs through 11 provincial economies, about one-fifth of the country's total area.

"The Yangtze River culture has become something that flows in the blood of Zhangjiagang," said the city's Party chief Yao Linrong.

During the opening ceremony, 27 troupes from cities that the Yangtze River runs by wowed the audience with a variety show that features performances unique to those cities.

To make the performances more accessible, the festival's organizing committee has slashed ticket prices to as low as 10 yuan ($1.64) since 2012.

A major highlight of this year's festival is unveiling a Yangtze River culture-themed museum.

The first of its kind in China, the museum showcases artwork made by intangible cultural heritage artists in Zhangjiagang. Local officials said it reflects the efforts of the city government to promote and protect local culture over the past decade.

The festival is organized by a foundation designed to promote Yangtze River culture.

"It will play an important role in protecting, developing and carrying forward the Yangtze River culture," said a local official.