Officials attend the opening ceremony of a tourism promotional event for Kunshan city at the Zhudian Ancient Kiln Cultural Center on Nov 8. [Photo from WeChat account kslydjq]

Kunshan looked to further raise its profile as one of China's most famous tourist destinations by holding a tourism promotion event at the city's beautifully renovated Zhudian Ancient Kiln Cultural Center on Nov 8.

The event attracted some 200 government officials, investors and tourists, and led to the signing of 14 major deals for tourism projects worth more than 2 billion yuan ($600 million) combined.

The new projects will include a "Chinese-style music base", a mixed-use center designed to function both as a hub for Chinese musicians and a leisure destination, and a recreational family farm.

Kunshan Deputy Mayor Tang Tuyun introduced the city's 11 key tourism complexes and 11 pilot villages to guests.

Mayor Tang was particularly keen to promote Zhudian Ancient Kiln Cultural Center, which was officially opened during the event.

The Zhudian Ancient Kiln Cultural Center is decorated with a chimney rising high into the sky. [Photo from WeChat kslydjq]

After over a year of restoration work, the ancient red-brick kiln has been converted into a beautiful cultural center, the kiln's towering brick chimney now surrounded by cozy cafes and exhibition halls.

Yao Linrong, municipal Party secretary of Kunshan, expressed his confidence in the city's tourism prospects and briefed the guests about its four most popular tourist itineraries, featuring picturesque water town views, rustic homestays, environmentally-friendly holidays and urban recreational visits.

A parallel forum on cross-Straits rural culture will also be held in Kunshan in the near future.

The Zhudian Ancient Kiln Cultural Center features a cozy café. [Photo from WeChat account kslydjq]