A promotion event for Laoxishui Town, a key tourism project of Pingyao county, is held in Pingyao on Aug 28. [Photo/chinanews.com]

A promotion event for Laoxishui Town, a key tourism project of Pingyao county, was held on Aug 28. Nearly 300 catering brands attended with the intention of providing services in the town.

The Laoxishui Town Project, covering an area of 20.6 hectares in the west of Pingyao county, has a total of 1.5 billion yuan ($220.14 million) in investments.

The town will consist of 11 sections including a commercial street with Shanxi specialties unique to the area, like mature vinegar and liquor, on offer, a food street, a Bed-and-breakfast complex featuring Shanxi-styled residential compounds, and a theme park. The food street also acts as the permanent venue for World Wheaten Foods Conference (a Shanxi-produced food program).

What makes the Laoxishui Town project stand out is the visitors can enjoy an augmented reality adventure during their vacation in partnership with Lenovo New Vision Technology Co.

With a folk culture theme, Laoxishui Town will be a tourist resort with additional services on offer showing Shanxi folk customs and culture and raising the quality of the county's tourism.

The town will be constructed in three phases over four years. Once completed, Laoxishui Town is expected to create more than 20,000 jobs and pay an annual tax of over 100 million yuan.