The Chinese New Year celebrations have been ongoing on the banks of Jinji Lake in SIP over the past few weeks. Statistics show that, during the Chinese New Year holiday from Jan 21 to 27, the Jinji Lake Scenic Area recorded 771,500 visitors, up 30.85% year-on-year, a sign of a rebound in tourism.

Many shopping spots, such as Harmony Times Square, Suzhou Center Mall and Shin Kong Place, offered traditional Chinese dragon and lion dancing performances on the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar.The event themed “Fortune Lion” and those themed “Gifts from the God of Wealth” were held at Ligongdi Causeway, Jiuguang Department Store and Suzhou Eslite Bookstore on the fifth day of the first lunar month.Many people took pictures with the huge wishing tree and rabbit-shaped lanterns at Suzhou Center Mall, the pink rabbit installation at Harmony Times Square and the beautiful stairway at Suzhou Eslite Bookstore.

The audio-visual shows at the Jinji Lake Music Fountain, staged every night from the Chinese New Year’s Eve to the fifth day of the first lunar month, attracted lots of visitors, too.The Suzhou-style lantern exhibition at the old Xietang Street and the Spring Festival-themed displays on the Sky Screen at Harmony Times Square were also popular.

There were also diverse fairs, such as the one at Jiuguang Department Store featuring imported commodities that won great popularity at the fifth China International Import Expo in Shanghai last November, and various folk art performances including interactive dramas, conjuring, cross-talk and demonstrations of techniques that are intangible cultural heritage.The hotels located around the Jinji Lake also organized events for their guests, including the New Year Afternoon Tea, folk custom events and parent-child tours.

As part of the celebrations, 100 medics from hospitals in Suzhou who had made contributions to COVID-19 prevention and control and their families enjoyed a free cruise on Jinji Lake on Jan 22.Many volunteers served at the north bank of Jinji Lake during the festival to help tourists take photos.Tourist service outlets in the Jinji Lake Scenic Area were open during the holiday, and local urban management and safety authorities carried out routine patrols to ensure that both locals and tourists could enjoy a happy and safe holiday.