The annual dance month of Shenzhen kicks off in South China's Guangdong province on July 13, and will last until the end of the month. [Photo/chinanews.com]

The annual dance month of Shenzhen kicked off in South China's Guangdong province on July 13, and will last until the end of the month.

The 17th China Open Ballroom Dance Championship, which was initially organized in 2003 and is seen as the most historic and influential dance event in Shenzhen, was held on the same day to unveil the grand event.

This year's competition gathered more than 6,000 participants of over 400 dance teams from home and abroad, including the United States, Germany, Russia, Australia, and Japan.

In addition, a variety of activities will take place during the Shenzhen dance month, such as teenage dance competitions and street dance performances, to provide a platform displaying the achievements of Shenzhen's dance development and to enrich people's cultural life.

Renowned dance works, including the China Shanghai International Arts Festival award-winning Fu Chun Shan Ju Tu (Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains), will go on exhibition tours around Shenzhen's Longhua, Guangming, Futian, and Bao'an districts.

Started in 2017, the Shenzhen dance month is sponsored by the Shenzhen municipal Party committee and the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles. It has become a new calling card of the city of Shenzhen.

Ballroom dancers compete against each other at the 16th China Open Ballroom Dance Championship held during the Shenzhen dance month from July 11-31, 2018. [Photo by Hu Lei/people.com.cn]

Street dance performances are held at Shenzhen Happy Valley in South China's Guangdong province on July 29, 2017, marking the end of the first Shenzhen dance month. [Photo/people.com.cn]