​To inherit the cultural lineage of Suzhou and accelerate the branding of "Jiangnan Culture", the 4th Jiangnan Culture and Art & International Tourism Festival will be kicked off on September 8, 2022, for one month as scheduled.

As the model city of cultural heritage conservation and city of crafts and folk art, Suzhou is one of the most popular destinations for foreign visitors. Historically, Suzhou was synonymous with high culture and elegance. Generations of Chinese artists, scholars, writers, and high society were drawn to its exquisite art forms and the delicate beauty of its gardens. Suzhou is a beautiful city that’s easy to get to and — once you’re here — hard to leave.

Sponsored by Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Suzhou Municipal People's Government, this year’s event will hold various theme festivals including the "Yangcheng Crab Festival", "Suzhou Gourmet Festival", "Suzhou Mutton Food Festival" and “B&B Cultural Festival”，to create an annual cultural feast for the people of Suzhou as well as foreigners in China.

There are also different cultural activities including "Humanistic Journey", "Ancient City Exploration", "Watery Jiangnan", and "Jiangnan Theater" waiting for you to participate, from which you can savor the charm of Suzhou through stage arts, calligraphy, popular arts, folk crafts, films, and Chinese operas.

The opening ceremony of the 4th Jiangnan Culture and Art & International Tourism Festival will be held on September 8th at 19:00 at the front square of Suzhou Museum. At that time, there will be a special exhibition of "Jiangnan Happy Touring", creative peripheral sales, and the night opening of the Suzhou Museum.

What's even more surprising is that 8 foreign visitors will be recruited to participate in this opening ceremony. And the invited international tour group will get a free day trip to Suzhou! The group will depart for Suzhou in the morning and savor an authentic local lunch, and in the afternoon, you will be free to visit the world-famous Suzhou Lion Forest Garden, and you will enjoy the Suzhou cuisine and participate in the opening ceremony at night.

We hereby declare that all costs for this day trip will be covered by TimeOutshanghai. Registration is open to all foreigners in China; you can also bring your partners or family members. The deadline for registration is September 5th, 2022. For more information or if you would like to participate, please send an email with your questions and contacts to: gabriellin@timeoutcn.com.

You will be notified by email after we have made the selection of final participants!

In addition to the free in-depth trip, all foreign friends who come to Suzhou during Jiangnan Culture and Art & International Tourism Festival will be eligible to participate in the "Suzhou in Foreign Eyes" photo contest. Organized by TimeOutShanghai, the event aims to extend a sincere invitation to foreign visitors in China to record the most beautiful moments of Suzhou with their lenses.

September 10 to September 30

All foreign visitors to Suzhou

Take the most moving and beautiful moment of Suzhou, either of a cultural event or a natural landscape, and upload the photo or short video to your Instagram with @timeoutshanghai and #visitsuzhou.

TimeOut WeChat will display the photographic works of each participant and open a voting channel for readers to vote freely, and the selection result will be decided by superimposing the number of likes on Instagram and the total number of votes on TimeOut WeChat.

Winners and Prizes:

1. If the first place winning entry is a short video, the video will be reposted and displayed on the official TimeOutShanghai Instagram account.

2. If it is a photo, the winning photo will be featured on the cover of the English winter issue of the TimeOutShanghai magazine, and the second and third place winners will also get the opportunity to be featured on the inside of the magazine. The top three winners will each receive two free copies of TimeOut magazine.

3. The first prize will win a one-night stay in the hotel PULLMAN SUZHOU ZHONGHUI, in superior twin room with double breakfast. The second and third place winners will also receive a 48-hour Suzhou Tour Card, which includes a free sightseeing bus to and from the attractions and admission to 19 attractions. With this card, you can pick up a gift at the designated place.

Suzhou is a major city located along the southeastern edge of Jiangsu Province in eastern China. Bordered by the Yangtze River in the north, Shanghai in the east, Zhejiang Province in the south, and Lake Taihu in the west, Suzhou is convenient for tourists to come and go.

The fastest way to travel between Shanghai and Suzhou is to take a bullet train or high-speed train. There are over 190 bullet or high-speed trains departing from Shanghai Railway Station or Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and arriving at Suzhou Railway Station or Suzhou North Railway Station every day.

As for Beijing to Shanghai, the high-speed trains (D trains) and normal-speed overnight trains operate at centrally located Beijing Railway Station and Suzhou Railway Station. High-Speed trains take 4 to 5.5 hours to cover 1,141 kilometres (709 miles); overnight trains take 11 to 17 hours to travel between Beijing and Suzhou.