As the Mid-Autumn holiday concluded on September 17th, 2024, the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau reported a remarkable influx of visitors. Over the three-day holiday, the city welcomed a staggering 6.29 million tourists, with approximately 3.73 million hailing from outside the city, resulting in a substantial cultural and tourism revenue of 4.53 billion yuan.
Throughout the holiday, Guangzhou organized nearly a thousand cultural and tourism events, positioning it as one of the top domestic destinations according to online travel platforms, among which Tuniu highlighted Guangzhou as the premier choice for local getaways during the Mid-Autumn festival.
Celebrating with traditional festivities
The “Mid-Autumn in Guangzhou: Gathering in Guangdong” cultural events invited a hundred families to experience the city’s iconic landmarks, such as the Canton Tower, Chimelong, and Yong Qing Fang, while indulging in traditional Cantonese cuisine, immersing themselves in the vibrant local culture.
The Guangzhou Museum’s “Kapok under Moonlight” Mid-Autumn Garden Party engaged visitors with interactive activities like playing card games featuring cultural relics, blindfolded mooncake tasting, and crafting osmanthus sachets, offering a hands-on experience of traditional Chinese culture.
The Guangzhou Cultural Center offered clay sculpting and fish lantern-making experiences, while the Nanyue King Museum invited participants to create lanterns and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their craftsmanship. The Sanyuanli Anti-British Invasion Museum organized a DIY activity where participants weaved bamboo into Ping’an buckles, and the memorial hall of the Huangpu Military Academy former site hosted a Mid-Autumn-themed experience event. All these activities left citizens and tourists reveled.
Romantic autumn outings and night tours
Night tours became a trending activity. The Yuexiu Park launched a Mid-Autumn Garden Party on the ancient city walls of the Ming Dynasty. Families, adorned in traditional Hanfu and carrying creative lanterns, followed the “Guardian General” on a historical journey along the city wall, blending the past with the present.
The 14th “Xiguan in New Era” folk event in Yong Qing Fang showcased the cultural heritage in Liwan District through a series of audio-visual shows themed on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tourists strolled through the historic Pan Tang ancient village, engaging in traditional activities such as flower tossing for wishes, shuttlecock kicking and gong playing, and tea tasting.
Rural leisure travel was another highlight. Huadu District hosted traditional events such as the “Shao He Lou” (burning of the rice stubble tower), a festive garden party, and the 2024 “The Voice of Langtou” Rural Singers Competition. Meanwhile, in the Conghua District, lanterns were hung at the stations and pavilions of Liuxihe National Forest Park, creating a festive atmosphere. According to statistics, during the Mid-Autumn holiday, Guangzhou received nearly 2.9 million visitors for rural tourism, accounting for 46% of the total visitor count.
Trendy experiences in the Flower City
Scenic spots in Guangzhou focused on creating innovative cultural tourism experiences. At Chimelong Safari Park, over 20,000 animals celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, with the second-generation giant panda “Mei Zhu” and her mother enjoying their first festival together.
The Canton Tower hosted the Intangible Cultural Heritage Golden Dragon Dance Parade, showcasing the charm of Cantonese culture with its vigorous and dynamic dance steps.
Guangzhou Sunac Land held a display of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Box Lanterns”, which have a history of hundreds of years, attracting a large number of tourists.
At the Grandview Mall, a promotional event centered around the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions colored sculptures of the Jade Emperor Temple in Jincheng, Shanxi Province make their first appearance in the Greater Bay Area, leaving visitors in awe.
Statistics show that during the holiday, 31 cultural tourist attractions in Guangzhou received over 2.8 million citizens and tourists.
Exciting performances for a joyful holiday
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, excellent performances graced the stages of Guangzhou. The play “Sanjia Alley” was grandly staged at the Guangzhou Opera House, and the Wet Men’s Russian stylish guy water dance drama “Show in the Rain” was performed at the Friendship Theater, both well-received and commercially successful.
The Guangdong Yueju Opera Theater performed “Water Village Love Story”, “The Butterfly Lovers”, “Lv Bu and Diao Chan”, and other 22 excerpts at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Hung Sin Nui Grand Theater, Jiangnan Grand Theater, and Dongchong Custom Street in Water Village in Nansha District, showcasing the beauty of Lingnan culture and water towns in immersive performances.
Shawan Ancient Town launched the 2024 Shawan Fish Lantern Cultural Festival, where the melodious Cantonese music played a romantic tune for the ancient town, and traditional lion dance performances excited the audience. The Grandview Mall Aquarium’s mermaid show “Remembering the Butterfly Lovers” offered a unique underwater cultural experience, enhancing the holiday’s cultural tourism offerings.
Source: Lingnan on the Cloud