A child poses for a photo while holding a sheep toy during the 10th Huzhou Sheep Culture Festival that recently opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

The 10th Huzhou Sheep Culture Festival recently opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

A myriad of activities themed on Huzhou sheep and "Red Beauty", a premium variety of mandarin orange produced in the city has been staged. The activities include food fiestas, sports meetings and concerts.

Huzhou has a long history of raising sheep. The sheep native to the city have high fertility and low breeding costs, and their meat is renowned for its delicate and juicy taste. 

Sheep raised in Huzhou have been designated a national GI agricultural product. GI is a label given to products that have a specific geographic origin and possess certain qualities or a reputation related to that origin.

Raising sheep has also become an important way for Huzhou to help underdeveloped areas the city is paired with under the east-west cooperation program for poverty relief launched by the central government fight poverty.