Cultural film appreciation has converged with beautiful garden tours in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, attracting curious international visitors in the canal-laden city known for its classical gardens.
Jointly organized by the Suzhou Landscape and Greening Management Bureau and the Jiangnan Center of the China Film Archive, the initiative to partially screen films during garden tours has drawn praise from tourists from around the world.
On Thursday, a group of foreign employees from a German multinational corporation were among those embarking on a cultural tour at the Humble Administrator's Garden.
Recognized as one of the most beautiful of its kind in China, the Humble Administrator's Garden blends the art of literature and landscape painting. It was inscribed in the list of World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 1997.
The unique new tour offerings at the site have piqued the interest of international visitors.
"That's interesting. That may be the first time that I see something like that, a tour with a film, it would be very good," said Nicolas, a Mexican tourist.
The garden is also putting on light shows at night, mesmerizing visitors as the beauty of traditional Chinese paintings, drawings and embroidery are brought to life by a shimmering glow.
"What I like the most is the nature in this park -- it's so connecting, it's filling you with energy. And also the timing right now, even if it's dark outside, this dance of the lights is in different forms. It was just mesmerizing. It's a very immersive experience," said Andrei Olaru, a Romanian tourist.
"It's really different than everything that I've ever seen. We do have also some sewing art, but not as complex as yours. Yours is magnificent, to be honest. I really enjoyed it," said Paula Bichiri, another tourist from Romania.
The film segments are shown outdoors, with a projector casting highlights of popular Chinese films onto a wall-mounted screen.
"When we enter the garden, starting from the history, starting with the short film at the beginning -- it was just amazing. So I think combining immersive cultural experiences with movies, that will be an ideal way to attract the new people to experience more, to be more involved into the cultural aspect and also the historical places," said Olaru.
Kunqu Opera performances -- one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera -- have also captivated visitors.
Recently, the garden has been welcoming around 20,000 visitors each day, with a significant number coming from abroad. By combining garden tours with film screenings, the garden offers foreign visitors a fresh perspective on Chinese culture.
This is especially true for the recent animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2, which has reshaped international audiences' perceptions of Chinese films.
"In this movie we have very beautiful pictures. The animation is very good. I didn't find [before that] China has such good-quality movies for animation. With this one, I think there are a lot of interesting movies to see in China. I think now I have a list of movies," said Cyril, a tourist from France.
Chinese films enthrall int'l visitors touring Suzhou classical garden
