Suzhou saw robust cultural and tourism consumption during the just-concluded May Day holiday. Official data shows that as of 8:00 p.m. on May 5, the city received a total of 12.057 million tourists, increasing by 21.4% compared with the same period last year.
On the evening of April 30, the 7th Jiangnan Culture and Arts & International Tourism Festival was officially launched by the Jinji Lake, featuring a great variety of activities centering on 6 themes. The “Enjoy Jiangnan’s Summer, Savor Chic Suzhou” cultural and tourism consumption promotion season started simultaneously, focusing on the deep integration of culture, business, sports, tourism and agriculture, during which there will be 1,000-plus themed activities, with consumer vouchers worth 5 million yuan and consumption subsidies worth 5 million yuan to be issued.
Local ancient towns such as Zhouzhuang, Tongli and Liuhe remained magnets for tourists who could, among others, visit intangible cultural heritage markets and watch folk performances. Apart from visiting scenic spots for sightseeing, tourists to Suzhou could enjoy a rich variety of artistic performances, such as an immersive play staged at the Taohuawu Theatre in Gusu District which tells the story of Tang Yin, a famous painter and talented scholar in Suzhou in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the dance drama “The Peony Pavilion” performed at the grand theatre of the Suzhou Culture and Arts Center, over 60% of whose audience were from outside the city, and the Chinese dance drama “Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” staged at the Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre, which has been inspired by “A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains”, a masterpiece created in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). During the holiday, the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Suzhou Museum introduced immersive night tours to meet tourist needs.
In addition, local tourism authorities launched five “Cityboat + Citywalk” routes around the ancient city of Suzhou, connecting such famous scenic spots as the Lion Grove Garden, the Yipu Garden, Changmen Gate, the Hanshan Temple, the Fengqiao Bridge, Qimen Gate Pier and Bai Juyi Pier, which allowed visitors to enjoy the picturesque water town scenery on boat. Popular museums in the city extended their opening hours and hosted 58 distinctive exhibitions. The digital exhibition at the Suzhou Bay Museum attracted more than 30,000 visitors during the 5-day holiday.
