The first Yellow River culture and art festival will be held this September in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province.

    Sponsored by Shandong Yellow River economy administration and the provincial tourism bureau, the festival will be held to popularize the Yellow River culture and bring wider attention to Yellow River harnessing and protection, said an official with the organizing committee Wednesday.

    With "maintaining the healthy life of Yellow River" as the theme, the festival would include forums concerning the protection and harnessing of the river and business and trade talks.

    An international sand sculpture exhibition and cultural and artistic activities will also be held.

    The 5,464-km-long Yellow River, called the "mother river of China," originates on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, winds its way through eight provinces and autonomous regions, and empties into the Bohai Sea in north China. Enditem