Flower festival, coffee culture fete draw crowds to Chongming Island

The 2025 Chongming Spring Flower Festival and Coffee Culture Lifestyle Festival have created an immersive floral fest, allowing people to experience the breath of spring and the charm of traditional culture.

The festival started in March and concluded last weekend, when residents and tourists strolled alongside the Yangtze River embankment and enjoyed coffee drinks with highlights at the Buzhen section of the riverside area.

In addition to the beautiful scenes, visitors also enjoyed hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) experience programs, street bazaar, flower markets and riverside performance sessions.

Special discounts for specialty drinks and handicrafts were offered at the night bazaar to fully leverage the outdoor scenes.

Tourism promotion and consumption-driven campaigns in Chongming District were in full swing, with a series of new cartoon images and culture derivatives unveiled.

Rebirth and blessings

The Spring Flower Festival, also known as the Flower Goddess Festival, has been a time-honored tradition marking the "birthday of flowers," symbols of rebirth and blessings. It came into being during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

"It's a prime time to spend some moments outdoors and enjoy the beautiful floral scenes and fresh air," said a female tourist surnamed Zhou.

Sixteen theme floral scenes, showcased between late March and mid-May, were created at the festival's main venue, Dongping National Forest Park, with leisure programs integrating forest explorations, camping, cycling, pet activities and food bazaars.

A highlight was the first Buzhen Night Life Festival and the Coffee Culture Lifestyle Festival from May 10-11, inviting outdoor lovers to take a sip of coffee and indulge in the chill spring atmosphere.

Special decorations were painted on the river embankment, bringing additional pleasure for the 40,000-plus visitors, who had over 40 vendors to choose from.

A Chongming resident surnamed Shi is a regular customer at Buff Coffee, a local cafe. He was delighted to find the cafe's pop-up shop at the riverside area at the weekend. "It's a pleasant weather to enjoy a leisure afternoon with a cup of coffee," he said.

Executives from the district administration of culture and tourism said the coffee culture and lifestyle festival served not only as a boost for local tourism and cultural industry, but also provided a chance for visitors to get close to nature and outdoors.

Chongming will continue to seek new models of integrated development of culture, tourism, retail, sports and agriculture, to create more special cultural and tourism programs to allow tourists from different regions to feel the unique charm of the island district.

One-stop directory for visitors

In April, a tourism guide map for the Dongtan area was unveiled. The map offers a comprehensive directory that covers popular scenic spots, top-notch gourmet locations and transportation information for the area, renowned for its wetland park and serving as a migratory bird reserve.

The map covers 12 core scenic spots including the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve and the Starry Camp. It also features three springtime themed routes, covering ecological and intangible cultural heritage programs, stargazing and aromatherapy treatment to offer a one-stop directory for visitors.

Districtwide, floral displays, hands-on activities and farm-to-table delicacies were showcased during the flower festival, holding great appeal for visitors.

Chongming's Xinhai Town drew attention with its enchanting display of wisteria blossoms, which created a dreamy purple haze. A 2.2-kilometer-long wisteria-covered corridor emerged as an ideal spot for visitors to leisurely enjoy an afternoon, providing a delightful escape and a chance to immerse in the beauty of nature.

As visitors wandered around a dreamy sea of violet, a series of book-reading, tea-brewing and handicraft-making activities were staged to enrich their overall experience.

Enticing activities

In Changxing Town, a series of events were launched. Focusing on the youth-driven economy, rural tourism, outdoor leisure activities and traditional culture, initiatives were carried out under the auspices of the flower festival. They injected fresh vitality into the process of rural revitalization.

At the outdoor bazaar, agricultural products, handicrafts and tour packages highlighting minsu (Chinese-style bed and breakfast accommodations) were showcased.

Engaging tea-tasting sessions were also organized, attracting a sizable crowd. Tea tasters dressed in hanfu offered specialty floral tea drinks made from local plants.

What's more, a series of follow-up activities, including cycling expeditions and competitions centered around storytelling and folk art performances in the local dialect, are scheduled to take place throughout this month.

These activities are expected to further enliven the atmosphere and offer participants a rich and immersive experience that combines elements of culture, sport and local traditions.