Changjiang International Music Festival is becoming one of China's major youth events. (Photo by Zhu Donghong/China Daily)

Zhenjiang might be an important stop on the Yangtze River economic belt, but it lacks cultural vibrancy. The Changjiang International Music Festival is trying to change that.

Zhenjiang, a small city on the banks of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu province, will be in the spotlight during the May Day holiday when it plays host to the Changjiang International Music Festival.

More than 20 singers and bands from China and abroad will perform at the festival, including legendary German rock band Scorpions and US singer Demi Lovato. Other headliners include Beijing-based rock singer Luo Qi and Taiwan pop diva Elva Hsiao.

With a history of more than 3,000 years, Zhenjiang is known as an important transportation hub, due to the economic belt along the Yangtze River. However, according to Zhang Bin, chairman of Zhenjiang Media and Culture Industrial Group, "the city is void of artistic atmosphere".

"Local people live a busy life under lots of pressure. But they have few entertainment outlets. We hope to inject energy to the city with music and encourage the winds of change," says Zhang, who is one of the people behind the idea for the Changjiang International Music Festival.

Since 2009, Zhenjiang Media and Culture Industrial Group has worked with organizers of popular outdoor music festivals, such as Midi Music Festival and Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, to bring their bands and singers to Zhenjiang.

The first year of the Changjiang International Music Festival was held at a public square near Jiangsu University and had a lineup of bands that included China's "godfather of rock music", Cui Jian.

The flood of music fans from neighboring cities such as Nanjing, Changzhou and Shanghai and Beijing posed challenges, but also brought opportunity to the city.

"All the hotels near the music festival site were booked and even the beers sold out at supermarkets," Zhang recalls.