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Travel guide for Zhouzhuang 2012

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Date Subjects Contents
1-Jan Praying at the beginning of New Year in Zhouzhuang Traditional New Year celebrations will be held in front of Ancient Archway, with a series of folk cultur performances. The first tourist on that day will get a special gift.
17 January-6 February Spring Festival 1. Lunar Year Festival evening (17 January): People offer sacrifices to the "Kitchen God "who looks after the family's fortunes. Tourists can get free dumplings at appointed residential inns (Zhengutang Hotel and Zhouzhuang People Hotel).
2. Rice Cake Day (21 January): Tourists can taste different kinds of cake and learn to make traditional rice cake.
3. New Year's Eve (22 January): Zhengutang and other cultural residential inns will create a good atmosphere for tourists to celebrate the New Year, where tourists can enjoy the traditional family New Year feast. Tourists can also visitQuanfuTempleand pray for best fortune in the coming year.
4. Spring Festival (22 January): The traditional custom of whipping the New Year "ox" at the Spring Festival is symbolic of wishing for a good harvest in the coming year. Tourist can participate in the ceremony, touch the “ox” and get a good luck.
5. Welcoming "the god of wealth" ceremony (27 January): Welcome "the god of wealth" with the ceremony on the fifth day of the first lunar month and watch the New Year's blessing parade.
6. Lantern Festival Celebration（6 February）: Lantern Festival Celebration includes guessing lantern riddles, playing couplets games, enjoying fireworks and floating River Lanterns.
14-Feb Valentine's Day Zhouzhuang will provide romantic couple tour routes on Valentine's Day. Tourists who make a reservation at Zhouzhuang Travelling Service on Tmall can enjoy 20% discount.
8-Mar Women's Day Zhouzhuang will hold tourism promotion activities on Women's Day and share the travelling happiness with female tourists.
April The 17th Zhouzhuang International Tourism Festival The Zhouzhuang International Tourism Festival is an annual festival. This year, a series of activities will showcase the relaxed and fashionable culture of Zhouzhuang to tourists from home and abroad, including the fifth Forum on the Protection and Development of Zhouzhuang, the Poetry Reading Competition, the second “Zhouzhuang Cup” Cross-Straits Chess Championship, the Model Contest, the Tourism Handicraft Competition, “Zhouzhuang Cup” National Children's Literature Award Presentation Ceremony, film premiere of Love you till the end of time (romantic movie from Zhouzhuang), “Spring travelling” Elegant Art festival (Kunqu Opera, Erhu, and Guzheng), and the University Kunqu Opera Festival.
19-May Love life, love travel OnChina's Tourism Day, Zhouzhuang will provide boating performance, fortune boat experiences, large scale performance of Zhouzhuang in four seasons, and a ticket discount promotion activity. Individual travellers can a enjoy 20% ticket discount, and tourists who reserve tickets at Zhouzhuang Travelling Service on Tmall can get a 50% discount.
23-Jun Dragon-boat races During the Dragon Boat Festival, local people will hold an exorcism ceremony in front of Ancient Archway, and have Dragon-boat races and water parade activities. Tourists can eat and learn to make Zongzi (rice dumplings) here and experience the traditional life-style in Zhouzhuang.
July-August Cultural study tour During the happy summer vacation, Zhouzhuang will hold subject activities, “Zhouzhuang at night”. College students will be invited to the activitie, and tourists can experience the rich cultural deposits of Zhouzhuang.
October Food Festival & Wedding Ceremony inWaterVillage In autumn, a Chinese food exhibition will be held in Zhouzhuang. Tourists can taste different kinds of delicious food and participate in a series of traditional wedding ceremonies in water village. The wedding customs include sitting on a bridal sedan-chair, boating in the water alley, wearing traditional clothes, and enjoying special wedding feasts.
23-Oct The Double Ninth Festival During the Double Ninth Festival, tourists can visit Zhouzhuang with all family members and accompany the elderly to enjoy the beautiful scenery, listen to the Kunqu opera, paddle a boat, and taste delicious food.
24-Dec Dating in Zhouzhuang A large-scale blind date activity will be held in Zhouzhuang on Christmas Eve. Single men and women can meet companions, win special love gifts and enjoy the beautiful scenery.