As the Spring Festival approaches, Suzhou hosts a flower fair curated by young local artists, who have given it a gentle, romantic touch. The event brings together New Year traditions—festive goods, heritage crafts, local snacks, and flower stalls—offering a taste of Jiangnan water-town charm.

The flowers are locally grown, colorful, and affordable, drawing large crowds. Young visitors in hanfu enjoy treats like plum and crabapple cakes, evoking the lively streets of the Tang and Song dynasties. Fueled by the revival of traditional aesthetics, nearby hanfu and qipao shops are seeing a surge in sales. Many visitors step in to pick out an outfit, dressing up for photos and strolling through the fair in style—capturing the season in all its beauty.

A nearby time-honored restaurant can barely keep up with demand for its crab soup dumplings. Chefs meticulously pick fresh crabmeat and roe, preparing the dumplings according to a traditional recipe and filling the air with irresistible aromas. Sitting down to a piping-hot basket after the fair has become a quintessential part of the experience and the perfect finale for visitors.