Programmers' festival aims to boost Xi'an's reputation as tech hub

The third Global Programmers' Festival is kicking off today in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Its goal is to enlighten innovative thinking and promote the programmer spirit of "enthusiasm, perseverance and struggle", while contributing to the city's growth as "China's Software City", according to the local government.

With a theme of "Connecting the Digits, Coding the Future", the two-day event includes a main forum held at its permanent venue Xi'an High-tech International Convention Center, a roundtable forum, a project signing ceremony, seven parallel forums, a carnival and an exhibition of scientific and technological innovations from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.