People are crowded at Dongguan Street, Yangzhou during the National Day holiday. [Photo/yznews.com.cn]
Yangzhou in Jiangsu province proved to be a popular destination during the eight-day Golden Week holiday due to its Canal Culture Carnival.
"We enjoyed delicious food and tried out a bunch of different activities at the carnival. It's definitely worth a visit," said Lu Jing from Nanjing.
The carnival, which lasted from Sept 28 to Oct 6, is an important part of the 2020 World Canal Cities Forum. During the event, which was comprised of variety of activities, visitors were able to attend a canal market or electronic sports fair, admire the canal and Slender West Lake by boat, and watch a 4D light show and drone performance.
Known as the "world canal city", "world cuisine capital", and "capital of East Asian culture", Yangzhou's reputation around the world is on the rise. CCTV even streamed live video coverage of the night cruise on Slender West Lake on Oct 5, allowing people all over the country to glimpse the antique boats, Wuting Bridge and white tower.
This year's National Day happened to fall on the same day as the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, so many scenic spots in Yangzhou arranged an array of activities featuring traditional culture to attract tourists.
On the night of Oct 1, Slender West Lake scenic spot held a poetry party, while He Garden arranged a night tour which included activities like guzheng (Chinese zither) and pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) performances as well as dances. Visitors also had the chance to see a traditional moon worship ceremony.
During the Golden Week holiday, Slender West Lake scenic spot also arranged a series of night tour activities such as a Yangzhou ditty, puppet show and classic music performance.
Visitors to Shugang-Tangzi City caught had the chance to visit an intangible cultural heritage exhibition and participate in various celebration activities. The 6th Salt Merchant Culture Festival was held at Ge Garden, during which visitors enjoyed guqin (Chinese zither) and Yangzhou ditty performances. Visitors fond of flowers relaxed amidst a golden flower ocean at the 2nd Sunflower Culture Festival held at Marco Polo Flowers Ocean Theme Park.
In addition to enjoying beautiful scenery and cultural activities, visitors to Yangzhou also received high-quality services. Volunteers scattered around the city provided inquiry and route guidance services. Yangzhou sightseeing buses were available for visitors free of charge. Tourist police were also on patrol and ready to help travelers solve problems.
"The city's public services keep improving, making us feel very comfortable," said Zhang Yi, who lives in Hangzhou with his family. Zhang said they planned to spend their next holiday in Yangzhou as well.