Longwu, Zhejiang province, the permanent venue of the annual Chinese Tea Olympics, is known for being a center of Hangzhou tea culture. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Fifteen towns in East China's Zhejiang province were recently named among the third batch of provincial-level characteristic towns with distinctive features, according to a meeting held on Sept 26.

Among the 15 newly-listed towns, four are from Hangzhou – Longwu town, selected for its tea culture; Artinno town, selected for its role as a creative hub and incubator; Xiaoshan information port town, selected for its strength in digital economy, artificial intelligence and biomedical health, and Jiande aviation town, selected for its aviation industry.

The new additions have raised the total number of characteristic towns in Hangzhou to eight.

The concept of characteristic towns started in Zhejiang province. According to authorities, a characteristic town is neither a town defined administratively nor an industrial zone, but is rather an area with specific industry orientations, cultural elements, tourism features and community functions.