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Island city's time to shine

The Spring of Putuo Mountain Tourism Festival will be held from April 9-20 in Putuo district of Zhoushan, an island city in Zhejiang province.

One of the four great Buddhist mountains in China, Putuo Mountain became a Buddhist sanctuary during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Considered the meditation place of Guanyin (Buddhist Goddess of Mercy), it has attracted pious pilgrims far and wide.

Buddhism concerts, forums and a live show of sand sculptures depicting Guanyin's tales on the island's shores will introduce the goddess to visitors from home and abroad.

Visitors will also have a chance to immerse themselves in Buddhist-themed exhibitions and local intangible cultural heritage performances.

Celebration of Zhuang folklore

Tianyang county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will hold the annual Buluotuo Folk Culture Tourism Festival from April 9 to 11. Buluotuo refers to the god who created the world in the Zhuang ethnic group's legends.

Tourists can take part in the music and dance gala and Buluotuo sacrifice ceremony. There are also folk song contest and International Lion Dance Contest, which attracts 11 dance groups from Southeast Asia. Also, 141 experts from home and abroad will participate in a culture seminar, discussing about how to promote Buluotuo culture.

Tea time in the mountains

Mengding Mountain International Tea Culture Tourism Festival continues until May 30 in Ya'an, Sichuan province.

People began growing tea on the mountain more than 2,000 years ago. Since the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), tea became a special type for the emperor to offer as a sacrifice to Heaven as well as ancestors.

Tourists can enjoy the Imperial Tea Making Ceremony that depicts how the tea was made and brewed about 1,000 years ago, and taste varieties of local tea. The South Ka Wood, a documentary that depicts the history and culture of Chinese tea, will be shot in the mountain.

An oar-some boat festival

The annual Qintong Boat Festival will be held from April 3 to May 3, in Jiangyan, Jiangsu province.

Its history can be traced back more than 800 years, when local residences held memorial ceremony for those who died in the battlefield.

Tens of thousands of boats will gather in the Qinhu Lake on Tomb-sweeping Day, with five types of boats. Besides a boat race, tourists can watch dragon and lion dances, folk dances and theatrical performances on boats with a stage.

Golden fields set to glow

Jiangsu province's Xinghua county will hold its third rapeseed flower festival, from April 3 to May 6, offering wondrous floral vistas.

A land of abundance, Xinghua boasts beautiful rivers and lakes. Since AD 750, local farmers have grown paddies in the lake, which became their unique "rice islands", on which the golden rapeseed flowers bloom every April.

A boat ride will allow tourists to take a close look at the sea of bright yellow flowers on the waterway. Travelers also have a chance to learn from local farmers how the oil is squeezed and extracted from the rapeseeds.

During the festival, visitors can enjoy local delicacies and folk performances including a folk song gala and a traditional boat show.

Resurrecting a famous statesman

Mi'an county of Hanzhong city, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, is hosting its eighth Zhuge Liang Culture Festival until April 6.

The festival is named after Zhuge Liang (AD 181-234), a famous statesman and strategist in the State of Shu during the period of the Three Kingdoms (AD 220-280).

Tourists can enjoy a series of shows promoting the legendary figure that include opera, acrobatics and martial arts performances. They can also take a trip to the county's Dingjun Mountain, once a major battlefield between the kingdoms of Wei and Shu.