Wu Ye, a differently-abled college student, attends the 17th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival in Hangzhou on Oct 3. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The 17th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province from Sept 29 to Oct 4. The event attracted over 13 million visitors and saw the signing of deals worth 480 million yuan ($74.4 million).

A total of 335 foreign and Chinese companies and 4,031 representatives from 56 countries and regions attended 1,646 match-making activities.

Livestreams and media articles related to the festival have attracted over 330 million views, up 50 percent year-on-year.

Local authorities said the annual event is key to the city's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for the culture industry. The plan is aimed at turning Hangzhou into an international cartoon and animation capital.

According to government statistics for the first half of 2021, Hangzhou's cartoon and animation industry generated an output of 16.07 billion yuan.