A bridge tournament was held in Taicang, Jiangsu province, on June 12-14 to mark the 20th anniversary of the city's recognition as "China's Hometown of Bridge." A total of 10 teams from around the country took part in the competition and competed at card tables.

Taicang received the recognition in 1995 and has since made efforts to promote the card game around the city, focusing on students. To date, 13 schools have launched bridge training courses and over 400 students receive training each year.

Since 2002, Taicang has hosted the national teenager bridge camp, where more than 1,600 students take part. Eight students were enrolled as specialty students by prestigious national universities, including Peking University, Nankai University and Nanjing University, becoming the the backbone of Taicang's bridge promotion after graduation.

Taicang has also held a string of bridge games. In 2012, the 14th World Youth Bridge Team Championships took place in the city, attracting some 300 players from 27 countries around the world. The city's efforts in preparing and organizing the event won acclaim from the World Bridge Federation (WBF). The game was hailed as an "excellent championship" by Gianarrigo Rona, the president of WBF.

A number of bridge clubs have been set up in Taicang to improve the city's profile as the hometown of bridge.

Bridge is a trick-taking game that originated in Britain in the 17th century and is now played globally in clubs, in tournaments and online.

Edited by Jacob Hooson