BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A new literature festival, initiated by award-winning director Jia Zhangke, will be held in north China's Shanxi Province from May 9 to 16 and focus on the writing of rural life.

More than 30 prominent writers and critics, including A Lai and Su Tong, will attend the festival to be held in Jiajiazhuang Village in the city of Fenyang in Shanxi, according to the organizer at a press conference held in Beijing Monday.

"There are people who love to read everywhere. Only if the villages become more culturally attractive will more people return to their rural homes," said Jia, one of the leading figures of the "Sixth Generation" of Chinese filmmakers, who won the Venice Film Festival's top award Golden Lion for the film "Still Life" in 2006.

A total of 35 events, including lectures, symposiums, reading events and film screenings, will be held during the festival.