As the Spring Festival is approaching, festive markets celebrating the Chinese New Year will be held across Suzhou City which are great places to shop and experience Chinese culture.
Guanqian Street in Gusu District is adorned by vibrant red decorations. The New Year fair there will last from Jan. 24 to Feb. 12 and display a wide array of goods, including traditional food, paper-cutting works, Chinese knots, couplets and handicrafts. On Feb. 2 (the fifth day of the first month in the lunar calendar), there will be performers dressed up as “Gods of Wealth” handing out red packets which symbolize well-wishes for happiness and prosperity in the New Year.
A New Year garden party will be held from Jan. 24 to Feb. 12 at Tang Yin’s Former Residence Cultural Block of the Taohuawu Historical and Cultural Area in Gusu District to offer visitors a good opportunity to learn more about traditional customs of the Spring Festival.
Suzhou New District (SND) will host a Spring Festival fair at Shishan Culture Square from Jan. 18 to 26. There will be a flower market of 1,800 square meters in the Shishan Grand Theater, selling flowers, bonsais, birds, fish and other pets. In addition, there will be more than 100 stalls selling, among others, intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, traditional snacks, and goods for use during the upcoming Spring Festival. During the 9-day fair, a variety of traditional cultural performances and activities will be held, including Hanfu-themed parades and lion dances.
A carnival market will be held at the Shazhou Youhuang Cultural Park in Zhangjiagang City from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4. Visitors can not only buy specialties of Suzhou time-honored brands such as Chinese yellow wine and plum cakes, but also watch performances of acrobatics and martial arts and demonstrations of traditional crafts and intangible cultural heritage skills.
Festive markets will also be set up at the Fangta Garden and the Yushan Park in Changshu City from Jan. 25 to Feb. 12, which will feature folk custom activities, fashion shows, sports events, music performances, fireworks shows, etc.
