Shanghai's suburban Qingpu District is cooking up a Spring Festival feast blending traditional Chinese New Year customs, trendy experiences, and leisure consumption, featuring diverse activities from ancient town intangible cultural heritage (ICH) celebration to experiences tailoring to inbound travelers.

In January and February, Zhujiajiao, Liantang, and Jinze, three historical and cultural ancient towns, are transformed into immersive Jiangnan New Year experience theaters. In Zhujiajiao, visitors will enjoy a multi‑sensory water town folk custom feast.

Tourists can take a small boat and enjoy a floating show of traditional art on the water. Near the Fangsheng Pavilion, they can enjoy the melodious Kunqu Opera, where classical art blends beautifully with the garden setting. The Jiaoli Riverside Market brings together ICH crafts, local delicacies, flowers, and cultural and creative gifts with festive activities.

A parade will take place along the ancient town's streets during the festival, featuring dragon and lion dances, waist drum performances, lianxiang stick dances, Jiangnan sizhu (a unique style of traditional Chinese instrumental music from the regions to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River), and other traditional cultural displays.

A specialty market will bring together Qingpu’s time-honored brands, including Liantang rice cakes and Jinze apo tea (granny tea).

Liantang will host ancient‑style ICH experiences and ancient town concerts, while Jinze Town will showcase its heritage as a "water town of bridges" with bridge-walking blessing parade. Visitors can explore the stories behind these ancient bridges.

At key business sites such as Qingpu Bailian Outlets Plaza and Panlong Tiandi, the district has optimized the tax‑free shopping service process and added multilingual signs and staff to create a friendly shopping environment for tourists.

Inbound travelers are invited to learn to weave Qingpu hand‑woven cloth or make Jiangnan pastries, stay at rural homestays to join a local farm‑style family banquet, and use the Qingpu version of the Shanghai Pass for convenient payment and easy access to major attractions, experiencing authentic Jiangnan water town New Year rituals.

Visitors will enjoy the ICH horse dance to welcome the God of Wealth at Qingpu Bailian Outlets Plaza and experience the charm of traditional customs. The plaza will also launch a helicopter tour, folk music performances, and Spring Festival concerts.

The Hongqiao Flower Valley has prepared a sea of New Year flowers as purchasing nianxiaohua (New Year flower) is a Chinese tradition which signals prosperity and richness for the New Year.