A view of the Twin Pagodas complemented by magnolia flowers at the Dinghui Buddhist Temple in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, March 6, 2025. (Photo/CFP)

Cities in the Yangtze River Delta region are hosting festivals and events centered on blooming flowers, such as cherry blossoms, magnolias and tulips, to boost tourism in the spring season.

Celebrating the traditional Huachao Festival for the birth of all flowers on the 12th of the second lunar month, Suzhou’s Tiger Hill scenic area hosted intangible cultural heritage markets, Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) exhibitions, handicraft workshops, and folk performances. Visitors were welcomed to experience the charm of ancient Chinese culture while enjoying the flowers.

In Shanghai’s Jing’an District, the Huachao Festival featured parades of twelve “flower goddesses” dressed in Hanfu, attracting residents and tourists alike to the celebration.

The 2025 Suzhou Flower Exhibition, to be opened on March 22, will showcase more than 1,000 varieties of flowers over an area of 11,000 square meters. The exhibition will also offer interactive activities focusing flower arrangement, plant care, recycling programs, and animal science.

Nantong has highlighted rural tourism routes themed around agricultural culture experiences, camping, and performances in its ancient towns and villages, all designed to attract tourists to enjoy the best of the season.