Huang Yanhao, a young Taiwan resident who runs a start-up in Pingtan, an island city in Fujian province, often travels up China's east coast to Wenzhou to meet potential clients. But on March 15, the entrepreneur noticed something different about the bullet train he was riding to the Zhejiang province business hub.

"Pingtan blue", the tourism ad slogan for his adopted home, was splashed all over the cabin. Billboards bearing photos of the island city's seaside scenery covered the inside walls, while the logo stretched across the train's headrests, fold-away tables, and even the windows.

"I felt so proud to see these slogans, as if Pingtan were my hometown," said Huang. The young business owner excitedly snapped a few pictures of the slogan and posted them on the social media app WeChat.

Huang had witnessed the start of a huge new promotional campaign by Pingtan, as the group of islands off the coast of Fujian seeks to transform itself into an international tourism destination.

Pingtan's tourism ads will soon appear on five high-speed rail lines covering many of China's biggest cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Xiamen, Guiyang and Hangzhou, an official from Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone bureau of tourism development revealed.

The ads shall run for a whole year on these trains, with the designs changing periodically to coincide with Pingtan's major tourism festivals held throughout the year, the official added.

Pingtan is also trying to enhance the city's profile among potential high-end customers by launching promotion conferences in cities across the country and running video ads at many of the country’s busiest airports.

The windows of the bullet train traveling from Fuqing to Wenzhou bear the slogan "Pingtan blue", promoting the island city of Pingtan in Fujian province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]