China Yangzhou Travel Festival The Second China Tianjin Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival Offering Sacrifices to Yan Di The Third China Kunming International Travel Festival China Travel Festival Along the Beijing-Kowloon Railway Weifang International Kite Festival The Seventh China Chongqing Three-Gorge International Travel Festival - Singing the Praise of the World-famous Rivers Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival 2002 Changzhou Culture and Tourism Festival

China Yangzhou Travel Festival Time: April to may Venue: Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province Sponsor: Yangzhou City People's Government What's On: 1. Yangzhou puppet show; 2. performance of Yangzhou traditional operas; 3. appreciating the authentic paintings and calligraphy by "the Eight Saints of Yangzhou"; and 4. demonstration and sale of local

paper-cuts, lacquer and jade wares, embroidery and dough figurines and so on.

The Second China Tianjin Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival Time: April Venue: Tianjin What's On: During the festival, various activities are held mainly in the Heavenly, Queen Palace, Haihe River and Culture Street, with Mazu culture as ties and tourism as mainstay. The activities include offering sacrifices to Mazu, theatrical

performance, the lantern fair on the Haihe River, the folk customs temple fair, academic discussions, business talks and some other activities.

Offering Sacrifices to Yan Di Time: Pure Brightness Festival (April 5) and Double Ninth Festival (October 14) Venue: Yanling County, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province Sponsor: Zhuzhou City Government What's On: Legend has it that in remote antiquity, Yan Di, or Shen Nong, taught the Chinese people to grow crops and introduced herbal medicines to them.

When he collected herbs in Hunan in his old age he died of taking a wrong herb. He was buried in Chaling (present-day Yanling County) in Zhuzhou. His tomb is large and solemn. During the Pure Brightness Festival (a festival for people worshipping at ancestral graves) and Double Ninth Festival every year grand memorial activities are held here.

The Third China Kunming International Travel Festival Time: April 10 to May 10 Venue: Kunming and other prefectures and cities in Yunnan Province Sponsor: Yunnan Provincial People's Government What's On: A large-scale opening ceremony is held in Kunming and various tourism activities with distinctive features are held in Dehong, Qujing, Dali, Honghe, Chuxiong, Yuxi, Xishuangbanna, Simao, Lingcang and other prefectures and cities of Yunan.

China Travel Festival Along the Beijing-Kowloon Railway Time: April 12 to 15 Venue: Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province Sponsor: Jiangxi Provincial People's Government Organizers: Jiangxi Tourism Administration and Nanchang City People's Government

What's On: Exhibition of tourism resources and facilities, business talks on tourism, exhibition of tourism commodities, forum on the tour along the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, activities for soliciting business and investment, performances with local characteristics and investigation on scenic spots and fine tourist routes of Jiangxi.

Weifang International Kite Festival Time: April 20 to 25 Venue: Weifang City, Shangdong Province Sponsor: Office of Weifang City Kite Association What's On: Weifang is the hometown of kites in China. There is a tradition in China to fly kites during the Pure Brightness Festival. Main activities of the festival include the opening ceremony, demonstration of kites and Chinese and foreign kite-flying competition.

The Seventh China Chongqing Three-Gorge International Travel Festival - Singing the Praise of the World-famous Rivers Time: Late April Venue: Chongqing Sponsor: Chongqing Municipal People's Government

Organizer: Tourism Bureau and Culture Bureau of Chongqing Municipality What's On: Chongqing, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is the source of the famous Three Gorges along the Yangtze River. During the festival, folk song choruses and singers from the Yellow, Yangtze, Mississippi, Nile and Amazon rivers sing songs and play musical instruments on these rivers. At the same time exchanges and academic discussions on folk songs are held.

Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival Time: April 26 to May 2 Venue: Zhabei Park and the area of Rou the Clock City in Shanghai Sponsor: Zhabei District Government Shanghai What's On: Meeting friends, conveying people's feelings and developing national culture are the purposes of the festival. Personages and delegations from the tea circle and tourists from more than a dozen countries and regions,

such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Canada and Hong Kong, Macao and Shanghai will take part in the festival. During the opening and closing ceremonies, tourists can not only watch performances, but also sample tea to judge its quality. During the festival, the exhibition of famous teas, porcelain, tea pots and some handicrafts will be held. In addition, Chinese and foreign tea specialists are invited to participate in the discussions on tea culture and demonstrate tea art in teahouses of Shanghai.

2002 Changzhou Culture and Tourism Festival Time: April 28 to May 8 Venue: China Dinosaur Park and Hongmei Park, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province Sponsor: Changzhou City People's Government, Jaingsu What's On: 1. Exhibition of folk arts of southeast China: 1) exhibition of local and folk operas of southeast China; 2) exhibition of folk handicrafts of southeast China; and 3) 2002 exhibition of folk horticulture. 2. Local folk customs tour: 1) the dragon boat race, reproducing the grand occasion of "competing to cross the Baiyun River by six dragons"; 2) tasting local folk snacks. 3. First international dinosaur culture symposium. 4. Two-day folk culture and art tour of Changzhou.

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