Traditional way to celebrate the holiday

People staying in Shanghai during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday and visitors will be able to enjoy traditional ways to celebrate with tourist attractions across the city having prepared various cultural activities, according to the Shanghai Culture and Tourism Administration.

A walking tour to explore historical buildings in Xuhui, Jing'an and Huangpu districts will be hosted on January 29 and allow participants to experience haipai (the unique east-meets-west Shanghai-style culture) history and culture, the administration said.

A spring flower exhibition will be held at Chenshan Botanical Garden in Songjiang District from January 23 through February 9, with flowers such as peony, orchid and azalea on display.

It will have four exhibition areas and activities related to the Year of the Rat and Lantern Festival.

Guangfulin Relics Park in Songjiang District is hosting a lantern fair featuring around 40 sets of lanterns. Covering 100,000 square meters, these lights relate to traditional Chinese culture and bear auspicious meanings such as harvest and prosperity. Some are about the legends of Guangfulin.

A 3D mapping show and projection show, and folk music and dance performances are also part of the display.

The lantern festival will run through February 9 at the park.

At Fangta Park in Songjiang, bell ringing, lantern lighting and traditional handicraft experiences such as dough modeling, sugar painting and calligraphy will be held during the holiday.

Zuibaichi Park in the same district will host a garden party, Huju opera performances, and chunlian (Chinese New Year couplets) writing activities.

Donglin Temple in Jinshan District will host a traditional bell-ringing ceremony at midnight on Lunar New Year’s Eve, January 24. Many believe it can bring good luck while eliminating grief and worry. Guests will eat vegetarian noodles, a traditional food for the new year, at the temple.

At Zhouqiao Old Street in Jiading District, visitors are invited to experience riddle guessing, traditional handicraft displays and festive activities on February 8 and 9 for the Lantern Festival.

Traditional water town wedding rituals and customs will be performed at Fengjing Ancient Town in Jinshan, and traditional Chinese opera performances and parades will also feature. 

Haichang Ocean Park in the Pudong New Area is hosting a Spring Festival temple fair as part of its ice and snow festival, along with a nianhuo (New Year goods) market and ocean-related riddle guessing.

China Maritime Museum in Pudong will present shadow play performances and riddle guessing during the holiday.

Jinjiang Amusement Park in Minhang District has been illuminated by lights and lanterns, and dragon and lion performances, float parades and parties will be held.

There’s a traditional folk market at Shanghai Film Park in Songjiang during the holiday, while the Baoshan District Library will host a nianhua, or New Year's pictures, exhibition from January 20 to February 21.

A grotto frescoes of the Silk Road exhibition is underway at Qingpu District Library, while concerts and a Lantern Festival market will take place at the North Bund area in Hongkou District.

Shanghai Fashion Center in Yangpu District will host dragon and lion dance performances and riddle guessing.

Oriental Green Boat Park in Qingpu is hosting a number of science-related activities through March 1, such as a cosmic dome screen movie, unmanned aerial vehicles, and VR and AR experiences.

A narcissus exhibition will be held at the Gongqing Forest Park in Yangpu during the holiday.

Jinshanzui Fishing Village, the city's only remaining fishing village, will distribute chunlian and character fu (which means good fortune in Chinese) calligraphy works to visitors, who will be invited to taste local delicacies and learn about he village’s folk culture.

Langxia Town in Jinshan will host woodcut printing, handicrafts and other folk cultural experiences during the holiday.