TAIYUAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A cultural industry fair opened Thursday in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province.

The fair has attracted more than 1,000 companies from 15 countries and regions, displaying over 10,000 kinds of products. The number of exhibitors has exceeded 8,000 and the audience number is expected to reach 300,000.

A main exhibition hall of over 20,000 square meters has been set up at the China Taiyuan Coal Transaction Center, with more than 360 booths. Another 30 venues have also been set up, where 107 cultural activities will be held during the six-day fair.

A total of 275 projects with an investment of 164.6 billion yuan (around 23.34 billion U.S. dollars) have been proposed at the fair. Altogether 96 projects were inked Thursday, with a total investment of over 28 billion yuan.