Things kicked off in style for the Taizhou Water City and Water Town Tourism Season, which started with over 1,000 guests from various nations and locals gathering on April 5 in Taizhou city, located in East China's Jiangsu province. 

Top attendees included Wan Wenhua, mayor of Taizhou, representatives from various embassies and consulates, tourism bureaus and tourism chamber of commerce from the US, Spain and Thailand, as well as domestic travel agencies and cultural and tourism departments from sister cities in the Yangtze River Delta.

Wan Wenhua, mayor of Taizhou, plugs the city's natural beauty, rich history and leisurely lifestyle in her speech. [Photo by Fang Yuting]

With its theme "There is a kind of happiness called Taizhou", the activity was organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Taizhou municipal government. 

The season features a raft of great scheduled activities, such as the Qintong Boat Festival in the city's Jiangyan district, rapeseed flowers viewing in the Qianduo Cole Flower Scenic Area, food bazaars and the Jingjiang Tourism Season – comprising over 50 cultural and tourism events.

The opening event also unveiled Taizhou's spring tourism line products and celebrated various accolades it's earned, such as being named as a China performing arts equipment stage machinery industry base. 

Additionally, Taizhou has been honored with distinctions – including being recognized as a national study travel base and a provincial tourism demonstration area. 

The ceremony featured the recognition of Taizhou zaocha, or Taizhou breakfast tea and dim sum, as a cultural and food landmark. There was also a performance by the Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe, commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Peking Opera great Mei Lanfang.

The event culminates with a fabulous drone show, comprising 800 drones. It created a captivating visual display in the night sky. [Photo by Fang Yuting]