Expats enjoy 2025 Spring Festival in Suzhou

This Spring Festival marks the first celebration since its inscription on the Representative List of UNESC's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Let's take a look at how expats embraced the festive vibes in Suzhou during this Spring Festival holiday.

Ana Guerrero (Spain)

Having lived in Suzhou for two years, I have come to feel a deep connection with this captivating city, especially during the Chinese New Year.

Picture is provided by the expat. Same below.

This year, I was fortunate to celebrate the Spring Festival with my closest friend and her family, who warmly shared their treasured traditions with me. Suzhou's cultural richness is unmatched, offering a vibrant mix of experiences, from traditional opera and dance performances to the soothing melodies of classical Chinese instruments.

I explored the city's historic landmarks, including the Panmen Scenic Area盘门景区, the charming Taohuawu Historical and Cultural Area桃花坞历史文化片区, and the ancient Xiangmen City Wall相门古城墙. Visits to the Suzhou Museum苏州博物馆 and the mesmerizing Jinji Lake Music Fountain金鸡湖音乐喷泉 further enriched my experience.

Each moment spent in Suzhou during this festive season has only deepened my admiration for its cultural heritage and the spirited community that calls this city home, further cementing my affection for Suzhou.

Lisa Vuoto (Italy)

It is really exciting to experience a holiday period outside of periods that I could call standard for my personal life experience. And it is equally exciting to be able to see how an entire nation celebrates so powerfully an anniversary that has its roots in a very distant time.

The sun and mild days allowed me to experience the city of Suzhou in a real holiday atmosphere. And my family and I took long walks around Jinji Lake金鸡湖 and Baitang Ecological Botanical Park白塘生态植物园, along the Pingjiang Road平江路 canal and through the hidden streets between the Lingering Garden留园 and Shantang Street山塘街. We watched the shows of the famous "Lion Dance" and tried to make dumplings that bring good luck.

Evans (USA)

In my experience, Spring Festival tends to be a rather peaceful and relaxing time for expats in China. Participating in the Gusu Year City Intangible Cultural Heritage Garden Party was very enjoyable.

The Garden Party was a spectacular event featuring many small stands and shops selling all kinds of handcrafted goods and food, wonderful decorations, stunning performances, and delightful music.

Minoo (Iran)

I spent my first Spring Festival in Suzhou. I visited Taohuawuli桃花坞里 which I had never visited before.

At night, most shops were closed. It was nicely decorated and had a lot of Spring Festival vibes and it was so pretty. I took a lot of pictures there!

Kristina (Russia)

I live in Suzhou with my family. We spent Chinese New Year according to Chinese traditions with a great meal and various exciting activities.

First of all, we love to launch fireworks (only in appropriate places), and the Spring Festival is the best time for fireworks displays. The sky was filled with bright, colorful lights, creating a beautiful and joyful atmosphere. Everyone gathered together to have fun, celebrate, and enjoy the moment. It was a time for family, good food, and exchanging best wishes for the coming year. The whole community joined in, making the celebration even more special and lively.