Changsha Hongxing (Red Star) International Exhibition Center, home of the Changsha Turpan grape festival. [Photos/ts.cn]

Turpan's local grape festivals, for the first time this year, will be held outside of its Xinjiang cradle.

Changsha is the first city of three to be graced with Turpan's diverse feast of grapes. The festival will be held at the Changsha Red Star International Exhibition Center on the weekend of August 16-17.

A banquet for the eyes

The folks back in Turpan work hard to harvest fresh grapes, get them into a cooler truck, and drive them all the way to Changsha at an Olympian speed.

Products from Turpan act as a sideshow to the main feature of the event.

The exhibition will display a hundred types of grapes. In addition to that, it will also showcase rural products such as cantaloupes, peaches and almonds. Visitors will also be exposed to the very best of traditional Xinjiang meals and crafts, introducing the cultural and historical background of a beautiful global tourist site.

A slice of traditional Xinjiang culture

The Turpan Grape Festival will also be visiting Beijing and Shanghai this year, in addition to its traditional two-week celebration at home.

Visitors walk under grapes. [Photo provided to China Daily]