The 2021 Ningxia Shapotou Silk Road Desert & Yellow River International Tourism and Culture Festival will kick off on April 28 in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

The opening ceremony will feature a folk art performance, a food festival and an exhibition on cultural and creative products based on intangible cultural heritage.

The festival will run throughl October. A western folk song competition will be held on April 29, and in June artists and hosts will gather in Zhongwei to have a poetry recitation event.

In September, a national desert fitness competition will be held in Shapotou and in October, there will be a half-marathon race combining sports and tourism.

According to the event organizer, there are nine flight routes linking Zhongwei and other cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xiamen, Chengdu and Xi'an. Shapotou is only a 30-minute drive from the airport.