Fun and festivities in China - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Traveling during local holidays is a unique opportunity to discover the country's culture and traditions from the inside. The most famous national holiday is Chinese New Year symbolizing the coming of spring. In late January - early February, the country plunges into a festive atmosphere: everywhere there are active preparations, brightly decorated buildings and dwellings, New Year's sales. Many state institutions do not work on these days. The main Chinese tradition for this day is gathering at a big table as a family, cooking traditional and sweet rice dumplings. On the New Year's morning, it is customary to present children red envelopes with money inside.

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The main festival of the end of winter is the Dragon Festival, which is celebrated between April 20 and 25. Every year, the city of Weifang hosts the International Kite Festival, the opening of which is impressive in its scale. It attracts many participants from China and tourists from all over the world. The event opens with a procession with a huge figure of a dragon at the head, followed by actors, dancers, and circus artists. The program includes Chinese kite championships, workshops, performances of artists, trade fairs. Fireworks symbolize the end of the fun.

In early March, the province of Shawan in Guangzhou hosts the eponymous festival. Be sure to go out into the street, join the atmosphere of general fun timed to the arrival of spring, see performances of street artists, taste traditional Cantonese dishes. In January, tourists are given the opportunity to see the combination of ancient and modern cultures of China at the Guangzhou Temple Fair. It's worthwhile to watch Chinese martial art shows, the ancient "Chaoshan Yingge" dance, whose history has about 3 thousand years, "lion" and "dragon" dances, as well as try national sweets. At night, hundreds of thousands of paper lanterns are launched into the sky. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

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"Duan Wu" better known as the Dragon Boat Festival is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The history of this event began more than one millennium ago. According to legend, during the Warring States period in 248 BC, the poet Qu Yuan was exiled from the city, and when the troops of the Qin Empire conquered the Kingdom of Chu, he threw himself into the river. Since then, people arrange dragon boat races on Chinese rivers, symbolically trying to find the poet's body. It is an official day off throughout the country.

Tourists wishing to get into a fairy-tale world and take some impressive pictures should visit Changchun Ice and Snow Festival. It is held from November to February. The exposition changes several times because ice sculptures are short-lived. Here you can see replicas of world-famous architectural masterpieces, fairy-tale castles, figures of popular characters. The National Day of the People's Republic of China is an important holiday for the country when all Chinese citizens are eager to visit the capital's main square. All cities are festively decorated, state symbols can be seen at every step, and people have a whole week off.

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Yuanxiaojie is a lantern festival, which is traditionally celebrated right after Chinese New Year. There are many legends revealing the history of the tradition of lighting paper lamps. One of them relies on the fact that ancient monks meditated on the Buddha's relics on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It is known that it has been celebrated since 104 BC. Symbols of the holiday are a tiger, a narcissus, and a dragon. On the streets, there are burning dragons processions, dances, and colorful performances.

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Fantastic City Tours and Excursions in China

Uniques spots of China

Huanglong Reserve

From the series “The most interesting UNESCO sites in China”

The Huanglong Nature Reserve will impress fans of natural attractions. Its name can be translated literally as "Yellow Dragon". The main feature of this natural area is the variety of travertine terraces. They were formed from limestone tuff. These terraces cascade down from the mountain slopes. The water accumulating on the terraces has a rich azure color due to the special mineral composition of limestone.

You can admire rare plants while walking around the reserve. You will also have the opportunity to see very rare animals, including giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys. The reserve is located in a beautiful mountainous area. There is a mountain on its territory. Its height is 5,588 meters. The most interesting place of the reserve is the Huanglong gorge. You can see very … Read all

The Great Wall of China

From the series “The most interesting UNESCO sites in China”

The Great Wall of China is one of the country's most famous landmarks. This is a unique architectural monument. It is found in Northern China. The length of the Great Wall of China is 8,851. 9 km. The huge wall is remarkable not only for its long length. Its width is also very large. It is from 5 to 8 meters. The average height is 6-7 meters. The wall is directed up to 10 meters in some areas.

The construction of the huge wall began in the 3rd century BC. Local residents tried to protect their lands from the warlike nomadic Xiongnu tribe with its help. Construction of the wall began on the orders of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. One of the court soothsayers predicted to him that the barbarians would destroy the country. They should have come from the North. The great wall is one of the main … Read all

All unique sightseeing China

Attractions and entertainment in top cities of China

Shanghai

The amusement park Shuzhou Amusement Land is perfect for a family holiday. It is located in the immediate vicinity of Shanghai. The large Park is popular not only because of the huge choice of entertainments but because of an incredible design. It has a small indoor water park, many of the original carousels and a spacious panoramic area. The entertainment complex is literally surrounded by an abundance of greenery. Sometimes it is called "The eastern Disneyland". The fans of kart racing … Read more

Beijing

Tango Club has another interesting name - the Palace of Dancing. The most vivid discos of the city are held here. Guests will appreciate not only well-planned cultural events, but also attractive and stylish interior of the club. Those tourists, who like to relax in a convenient and relaxed atmosphere, should move their feet to a disco named Nasa. This facility is decorated in an original military theme. In this club you will see an army jeep, which is used as the club’s bar and a model of a … Read more

Guangzhou

The Sunflower Garden Park is one of the most romantic places in Guangzhou. It’s a great place to see numerous types of flowers as landscaping professionals create fancy looking flower compositions that always look different every year. Tourists will have a great opportunity to walk along charming sunflower fields, admire elegant floral arches and colorful compositions. Those, who are fond of more thrilling attractions, should definitely visit the Nanhu Amusement Park and enjoy numerous … Read more

Suzhou

An equally important feature of Suzhou is the variety of shops and markets, a walk along which promises to be no less exciting. Weitang Chinese Pearl and Gem City indoor market is characterized by favorable prices and a wide range of products. Here, visitors can buy stylish clothes and shoes, great gifts for loved ones, quality jewelry, and perfumes. Round Times Square stands out among numerous shopping malls. In addition to a huge selection of shopping pavilions, it is ready to offer visitors … Read more

Shenzhen

Sports fans will not be bored either, as there is a decent choice of sports complexes in the city and its surroundings. Mission Hills Golf Club stands out among many local golf centers. It will pleasantly surprise customers not only with its high-quality playgrounds but also with well-kept recreation areas, as well as affordable prices. A worthy competitor of the sports club is Juhao Golf located in a very picturesque area. Getting back to amazing natural beauties of Shenzhen, we cannot … Read more

Hangzhou

Tourists with children will simply fall in love with Hangzhou. As a rule, family visitors enjoy visiting Hangzhou Songcheng amusement park. This park is designed in the beautiful national style and offers an interesting cultural program in addition to a broad range of attractions and charming areas perfect for relaxation. It also has a theater that hosts interesting performances every day. Even more, Hangzhou Songcheng has a fantastic restaurant that offers mostly delicious national cuisine. … Read more

Xiamen

One of the major attractions of Xiamen is a variety of picturesque parks and entertainment centers. The Botanic Yuyuan Garden is very popular with the resort guests. It is incredibly large and well-kept and can become a perfect place for walks. In the garden, there is an interesting collection of bonsai trees and exotic flowers. It also includes a lovely pond and very interesting stone decorations. After walking along the garden, vacationers can drop in the comfortable restaurant. Shopping … Read more

Chengdu

The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, a unique natural reserve, is very popular with nature admirers. For animals, there are fantastic conditions that are close to the natural habitat as much as possible. Besides giant pandas, the population of whose is endangered and at risk of extinction, a lot of other rare animals inhabit in the reserve. Here, you can see rare white storks and red pandas and visit the interesting museum dedicated to representatives of local fauna. After enjoying the … Read more