Foreign visitors enjoy dragon boat races, cultural activities in Foshan

During the May Day holiday, many foreign visitors and merchants attending the Canton Fair in Guangdong Province have been enjoying dragon boat races and other cultural and tourism activities held in Foshan City.

During the five-day holiday, which began on Thursday, Foshan will hold dragon boat racing alongside more than 400 other cultural and tourism activities such as food festivals, intangible cultural heritage performances, and music festivals.

The activities are expected to increase tourist arrivals by more than 10 percent.

Sibani, a trader from the Middle East, attended the second phase of the ongoing 137th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair. During the May Day holiday, Sibani and his friends came to Jiujiang Town in Foshan to experience dragon boat racing and taste local delicacies.

"It just so happened that I was visiting the Canton Fair, and then I came to Jiujiang to look for some companies. Some of the business owners are my friends, and they brought me here. I also want to experience the dragon boat myself," he said.

"I just had a good experience, like experiencing the local food here. And at the same time, here is the river where is the dragon race. So it's like a connected experience,” said Sibani’s friend Philip.

Many foreign visitors like Sibani have come for the dragon boat races, with some saying watching the race and tasting the food were their main reason to be here, along with searching for special dragon boat souvenirs.

"I've been traveling for the last two weeks in China. Today I'm here invited to see the dragon race, and it's the first time and it's so amazing,” said Omar, a Moroccan tourist.

"Our restaurant is located along the river. It was fully booked long ago. Our business revenue has increased by at least 50 to 60 percent due to the dragon boat race," said Lu Huiling, owner of a restaurant in Jiujiang.

Foreign visitors enjoy dragon boat races, cultural activities in Foshan

China's movie industry is increasingly deriving its earnings from broader consumer economy.

Released during the 2025 summer season, the film "Nobody" became China's highest-grossing two-dimensional animated film -- and its success went beyond theaters.

Through licensing and brand partnerships, the movie has generated 2.5 billion yuan (about 358.3 million U.S. dollars) in retail sales to consumers, with more than 800 licensed products on the market.

Ranging from plush toys to food and home goods, the movie-related merchandise can be purchased from over 3,000 online and offline outlets.

Meanwhile, souvenir stores are crowded at Shanghai Disneyland's Zootopia themed land, with hats, plush toys, and collectibles seeing steady demand from visitors.

"China's film industry is no longer defined by box office revenue alone. It has become a new growth engine that links and energizes multiple cultural sectors. At the heart of every successful film is strong storytelling. High-quality productions create cultural value, which in turn enhances the commercial value of intellectual property and opens up new consumption opportunities. I believe China's film industry delivered an outstanding performance in the past year," said Chen Xiaoda, vice dean of Shanghai Vancouver Film School.

Film IP fuels expansion of consumer market