Arts industry thrives in painting city

The Shandong city of Weifang is drawing on its rich cultural resources and strong arts scene to boost the development of its painting and calligraphy industry.

Weifang hosts thousands of painting and calligraphy exhibitions and auctions annually and was named China's Paintings City by the Chinese Painting Institute last April.

"Weifang has become a famed art center for painting and calligraphy works creation, display and trading," Liu Dawei, chairman of the China Artists Association said at a national painting and calligraphy fair in Qingzhou, part of Weifang, last month.