With UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) inscribing China's Spring Festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the upcoming celebration in 2025 will officially usher in the first "intangible cultural heritage-version Spring Festival."
Looking for the most authentic and strong Spring Festival flavor, there is no need to travel far as the Yangtze River Delta region will present a feast of traditional Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and customs during the holiday between January 28 and February 4.
A dragon dance performance in Taizhou.
Taizhou, Jiangsu Province
If you plan to visit Taizhou, come hungry as the city is a real heaven for foodies.
From steamed dumplings stuffed with crab roe to Huangqiao shaobing, a type of flat bread, Taizhou is known for its morning tea culture and various mouthwatering delicacies.
This Spring Festival, Taizhou has more to offer in addition to food.
It will launch more than 40 major cultural and tourism activities covering exhibitions, lantern fairs, folk customs, and markets to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
On the menu are folk performances such as dragon dances, waist drums, and rolling lianxiang, a stick with copper coins and colored streamers, and delicacies such as Jingjiang steamed dumplings stuffed with crab roe, Qintong fish cake and shrimp balls.
A molten iron flower show is staged in Taizhou.
At Taizhou Taoyuan (peach garden) Scenic Area (泰州市桃园景区), there will be a lantern fair and molten "iron flower" performance during the holiday, while a guochao (China-chic) bazaar will be held at the Daohe River Ancient Block (泰州市稻河古街区). The Jiangyan People's Park (姜堰人民公园) will be illuminated by dazzling snake-shaped lights, while a Spring Festival garden party will take place at Xinghua Water Forest Scenic Area (兴化市水上森林景区).
A Chinese zodiac exhibition is ongoing at Taizhou Museum (泰州市博物馆), while intangible cultural heritage, traditional Chinese opera and folk custom performances will wow tourists on Taizhou Old Street (泰州老街). A temple fair will be hosted in Huangqiao Ancient Town (黄桥古镇), while the Jingjiang City Tianyi Square (靖江市天一广场) will be the venue for an old town folk customs parade. A food market will tempt gourmets on Jishi Ancient Street of Jingjiang City (靖江市季市老街).
A dragon dance is staged in Taizhou.
How to get there
A high-speed railway trip between Shanghai and Taizhou takes just over two hours.
It takes about three and a half hours to drive via Shenhai and Hushan highways.
A boisterous celebration in Xuancheng.
Xuancheng, Anhui Province
Xuancheng is cooking up a feast of intangible cultural heritage with its Spring Festival Folk Culture Season starting on January 22.
Local characteristic folk treasures will be fully displayed to tourists, with a variety of activities such as lion dance, Caicun Village dragon rolling, fish lanterns, and paowushou (a mimic of five beasts) all available.
An array of folk cultural activities like Wannan flower drum operas and riddle guessing will be held on Beimen Ancient Street (北门老街) through the end of February, while between January 30 and February 5, intangible cultural heritage folk performances, traditional drama, intangible cultural heritage fairs and other activities will be staged at Xuanzhi Town Scenic Area (宣纸小镇).
A traditional praying ceremony in Xuancheng.
A bird's eye view of Xuancheng.
The countryside is the place with the strongest New Year flavor. Many villages in the city have prepared rich activities to let tourists feel the authentic rural Spring Festival flavor. In Shuidong Town (水东镇), Honglin Town (洪林镇), and Liqiao Town (狸桥镇), folk performances, dragon and lion dances, and New Year's goods fairs will be held.
Cunwan (a village version of the Spring Festival gala) and Kongming lantern (small hot-air paper balloons) release will take place at Caicun Town (蔡村镇) and Fuling Town (伏岭镇).
In Hule Town of Ningguo City (宁国胡乐镇), people are able to enjoy a traditional long-table banquet, while Jixi County (绩溪县) has been stuffed with colorful Spring Festival intangible cultural heritage performances and activities, including a drone performance, fish lantern parades, fire horse dances, swing sedans, and ancestor worship activities.
A dragon parade in Xuancheng.
How to get there
With the operation of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-Speed Railway, it takes one and a half hours from Shanghai to Xuancheng by rail.
It takes about three and a half hours to drive via Huyu Highway.
A lantern bazaar in Chun'an.
Chun'an, Zhejiang Province
There is nowhere to experience the strongest Spring Festival flavor than in villages where the festival is celebrated in a grand and boisterous way.
In Chun'an County where the Qiandao Lake Scenic Area, known as the backyard garden of Shanghainese, is located, 39 intangible cultural heritage activities will be staged during the holiday, including some that can only be observed in Chun'an.
In Chayuan Village (茶园村), a series of Spring Festival customs activities, including pounding glutinous rice cakes, making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and jiaozi (dumplings), and cooking on traditional stoves, will be held between January 28 and February 12, enabling tourists to savor the festive atmosphere, and enjoy the rural New Year ambiance.
The Luoshen bamboo dance, originating from Wangchuan Village (汪川村), has a history of over 900 years and is an intangible cultural heritage of Hangzhou. It is performed annually on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
A traditional Spring Festival celebration in Chun'an.
The sounds of gongs, drums, firecrackers, and laughter blend together. Villagers perform this dance to pray for a bountiful harvest and prosperous descendants in the new year. After the performance, the entire village is paraded to bless the villagers and pray for favorable weather in the coming year. The performance will be staged on January 29 this year based on tradition.
The Yejia Village (叶家村) bench dragon is a traditional folk performance art with a long history, rich in folk customs and traditional cultural heritage. Participants, dressed in uniform costumes and holding bench dragons, will showcase the unique charm of the bench dragon through changing formations and dancing. It will be performed on January 31 in the village.
At the Yueguang Island Scenic Area of Qiandao Lake (千岛湖月光岛), fireworks shows will be staged between January 29 and February 4.
The Chun'an Museum (淳安县博物馆)is hosting an exhibition replicating folk Spring Festival customs and offering a glimpse into how locals celebrate the festival with a 36-meter-long hand drawn scroll.
How to get there
It takes two and a half hours from Shanghai to Chun'an by rail and people can get off at Qiandao Lake Station.
It takes about four and a half hours driving via Hukun and Changshen highways.
A fish lantern parade at Huangshan.
Huangshan, Anhui Province
Hidden deep inside a mountainous area 40 kilometers from the nearest bus station, Wangmantian Village (汪满田村) in Huangshan became a hit destination during last year's Spring Festival because of its fish lantern parade, a folk custom dating back more than 200 years.
Wangmantian fish lanterns, in the shape of carp, is made by binding bamboo slices into a frame, and then pasting cotton paper on the outside, with colorful painting of fish head and fish scales. There is a "king" character on the head and double whiskers on the mouth. It has been listed in the sixth batch of Anhui provincial intangible cultural heritage representative items.
It is said that there are many wooden houses in the village, and fires often occur. In order to pray for peace, from the 13th to the 16th day of the first lunar month every year, villagers take the shape of fish and play on both sides of the river. For four consecutive days, the fish lanterns parade at night, paying respects to heaven and earth, sacrificing ancestors, and praying for blessings.
This year, enjoying the fish lantern parade is still a recommended traditional way to celebrate the festival.
A fireworks show in Huangshan.
Ancient villages are scattered like stars in Huangshan. The "Prosperous Huizhou – New Year Flavor in Chengkan" themed New Year celebration has started in Chengkan Village (呈坎村) with a history of more than 1,800 years, recreating the social drama scene a thousand years ago.
The ancient streets and alleys, paved with bluestone slabs, take on an even more rustic charm under the bright lights, as if time is flowing slowly here, waiting for a grand traditional celebration.
With the sound of melodious gongs and drums, the entire village seems to be awakened. Visitors walk along the winding alleys, converging towards the central square of the village. Children jump excitedly, while adults wear smiles on their faces, their eyes twinkling with curiosity and anticipation for this traditional custom.
Under the gaze of visitors, several Huizhou fish lanterns slowly make their way through the night. They vary in size, exquisitely crafted, with scales that shimmer in the light as if they have truly leapt out of the water, weaving through the alleys of the ancient village. These lanterns are carried by several strong local villagers, who dance them flexibly to the rhythm of the drums, sometimes tumbling, sometimes leaping, like a group of lively fish.
A fish lantern parade.
How to get there
It takes about two hours and 20 minutes from Shanghai to Huangshan by rail.
It takes about five and a half hours driving via Huyu and Shenjiahu highways.
A hanfu parade in Shaoxing.
Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province
The Spring Festival, for the Chinese, is the most important holiday of the year. It is the vibrant red of celebration and the fresh green of renewal. In Shaoxing specifically, it is about strolling through temple fairs, appreciating the art of molten iron flower, enjoying the lingering charm of Yueju Opera and visiting lantern festivals. The people of Shaoxing have an inherent sense of romance.
The city will bring the most vibrant festive atmosphere, starting from New Year lantern festivals, Shaoxing markets, hanfu parades, grand performances, city wall light shows, and ancient-style boat tours...
In Anchang Ancient Town (安昌古镇), the Anchang New Year market is full of treasures, and the water dragon festival and the city god temple fair will bring back traditional vitality.
A lantern fair illuminates Shaoxing.
In Keqiao Ancient Town (柯桥古镇), the Spring Festival flower market is filled with blooming flowers, and the beautiful melodies of traditional Chinese operas will linger in the air.
The traditional custom of welcoming the God of Wealth carries people's beautiful aspirations and pursuit of wealth. In the hometown of Xi Shi (西施故里), a famous ancient Chinese beauty, a celebration to welcome the God of Wealth is about to begin, and the bustling God of Wealth market will open at the same time.
There will also be lantern riddle guessing, Majian bench dragon parade, and handicraft experiences. In Shengzhou City God Temple (嵊州城隍庙), a temple fair will be hosted.
The dazzling and radiant lanterns are definitely one of the main attractions of the Spring Festival. Hanging red lanterns and visiting lantern festivals to admire the lights are essential flavors of the holiday.
In the historical Buddhist temple – Dafo Temple in Xinchang (新昌大佛寺), a thousand-year-old ancient temple – a lantern fair presents a visual feast to tourists.
A molten iron flower show is staged in Shaoxing.
How to get there
It takes about one hour and 20 minutes from Shanghai to Shaoxing by rail.
It takes about two and a half hours driving via Hukun and Changtai highways.