Experience traditional Spring Festival in Wuzhen

Traditional Chinese culture will be on show in a series of activities and events during the Spring Festival in Wuzhen, an ancient canal town in neighboring Zhejiang Province.

With a history of more than 6,000 years, Wuzhen has retained its original layout, looks and lifestyle as a watertown.

The rivers are lined with well-preserved Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) buildings and crisscrossed by stone bridges.

Wuzhen also features a unique 1,800-meter waterside pavilion, for which the town has been named "the last protector of Chinese river culture."

If you want to see the long-lost traditions of Spring Festival, particularly the firecrackers and fireworks that have disappeared in big cities, then Wuzhen will be a perfect place to experience what a real traditional Spring Festival is.

For example, the "floating market of Spring Festival," running from January 19 to 31, reflects the bustling scene of the market on the water where people can select their special purchases for the festival from small boats.

As well as shopping, visitors can sample traditional snacks sold at the floating market.

"Long street banquet," from February 22 to 27, is one of the highlights of Wuzhen. As an extended tradition, people from different places in the country, known or unknown to each other, sit and dine together at this banquet to share the joy for the Chinese New Year.

Other events including a festive lantern show, sacrifice rites and the making of traditional bacon all show the very "old school" traditions of Spring Festival.

For more details, check www.ewuzhen.com.