Wuxi's Spring Festival vibe draws nationwide visitors

China

Wuxi's Spring Festival vibe draws nationwide visitors

2025-01-27 17:13 Last Updated At：01-28 00:47

As a sub-venue for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province, with its picturesque water town charm, rich cultural heritage, and renowned cuisines, draws visitors from across the country to immerse in the festive atmosphere.

The gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been broadcast live annually since 1983, and is considered a major cultural symbol of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.

This year's event will be aired on Jan 28, the eve of the Chinese New Year. With its main venue set in Beijing, the gala is the first edition following the Spring Festival's successful inclusion on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In Wuxi's Qingming Bridge historic community, an ancient district connected by the Grand Canal -- a vast waterway running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south -- nightfall brings the glow of lanterns hanging on ancient buildings along the canal. Their reflections shimmer on the sparkling river, creating an enchanting scene that evokes the beauty of an ink painting.

The area also showcases elements of the region's intangible cultural heritage, with stalls allowing visitors to craft vibrant, lifelike Huishan clay figurines, offering a firsthand experience of traditional craftsmanship.

In addition to enjoying the stunning nightscape and exploring the region's cultural heritage, visitors can also taste authentic local dishes.

"I'm from Suqian in Jiangsu. I've heard that Wuxi has a vibrant festive atmosphere. I tried the crab roe noodles and crab roe soup dumplings here. They're amazing," said Ma Xulin, a visitor.

For the Spring Festival holidays, Wuxi is also rolling out various initiatives tied to the festival, the gala, and its rich cultural heritage, promoting exclusive Spring Festival Gala-themed cultural products and creative travel routes.

Major attractions like Lingshan Mountain will give away 3,000 free tickets daily, and others, such as Huishan Ancient Town and Wuxi Zoo, are offering half-price discounts.

"Wuxi serving as a sub-venue of the Spring Festival Gala has brought a significant boost in tourism to this historic city. We have launched a range of special measures to promote consumption and cultural tourism during the festival, including over 300 activities and nearly 100 discounts covering food, accommodation, travel, shopping, and entertainment, to make sure that visitors have the best experience in this wonderful city," said Huang Weigong, director of the Wuxi Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau.

Data shows that Wuxi's selection as a sub-venue has made it a popular tourist destination, with nearly 75 percent of the visitors now coming from outside Jiangsu, marking a 39 percent year-on-year increase.

U.S. stocks close lower amid rising yields

U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as climbing U.S. Treasury yields continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 322.24 points, or 0.65 percent, to 49,363.88. The The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 49.44 points, or 0.67 percent, to 7,353.61, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index shed 220.03 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 25,870.71.

A primary source of downward pressure came from the fixed-income market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed back above 4.6 percent, while the 30-year Treasury yield nearly touched 5.2 percent, marking its highest level in nearly 19 years.

The high-yield environment acted as a drag on high-valuation growth sectors, which are particularly sensitive to elevated interest rates. Six of the 11 primary The Standard and Poor's 500 sectors closed in negative territory, with materials and communication services leading the declines by dropping 2.27 percent and 1.58 percent, respectively. In contrast, the healthcare sector gained 1.09 percent and the energy sector advanced 1.03 percent.

Market participants are also focusing on Wednesday's upcoming after-hours earnings release from Nvidia.