The 2009 Guangdong International Tourism & Culture Festival and the Tourism Promotion Meeting for the Pan-PRD will open in Guangzhou on November 13th. This year the week long event will present 21 large scale events and activities.
[Events in the Guangzhou city]
1. The 23rd Guangzhou International Gourmet Festival
Date: 12th - 22nd November, 2009
Venue: Grandview Mall
Once again the main part of the festival will be held in Grandview Mall but many other food events will be held in hotels and restaurants across the city. An exhibition showcasing quality cooking appliances will also be held for the more professional food lovers amongst us.
2. The 2009 Boat Parade
Date: 14th - 19th November, 2009
Opening hours: 18:30-23:00
Venue: 16 ships have been invited to parade down the Pearl River between Bai'E Tan and Guangzhou Bridge.
3. The 3rd "Gold-Medal Tourism Guide Competition"
60 contestants are through into the finals which will be held late November. There will be one champion, two runners-up, three third place holders and four single awards.
4. Competition for Promoting Asian Games Ambassadors and Guangzhou Delicacies' Envoys
The competition will be held in early November along with an original and creative performance.
5. The 10th Guangzhou International Tea Culture Festival and the International Tea Expo China (Guangzhou) 2009
Date: 26th to 30th November
Venue: Zhongzhuo International Business Exhibition Center
6. The 14th Guangzhou International Art Expo
Date: 10th – 14th December, 2009
Venue: Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center
7. The 5th "Yangcheng New Talent" Singing Competition
Date: 16th September – 22nd November
The participants in this year's competition will be singing and performing in a big show called "Hello Guangzhou". The semifinals and final will take place from the 18th to 22nd of November.
8. The 7th China Music Golden Bell Competition
Date: 20th – 27th November, 2009
Venue: Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, Xinghai Concert Hall, etc.
The major events will be a piano competition, chamber music performances and vocal music.
9. The 50th Yancheng Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Date: 20th November – 6th December
Venue: Guangzhou Culture Park
Nearly 1,000 different varieties of chrysanthemums will be on display.
10. The "Tracks of Xiguan" and the "The Xiguan Gourmet Festival"
Date: September – November
These activities explore Xiguan's profound culture and promote tourism to this area of Guangzhou.
11. Guangzhou (Nansha) Seashore Tourism Festival
Date: 19th – 22nd November
Venue: The Nansha Matsu Temple, Seaside Park, Puzhou Garden
Major events: Kite Festival, beach volleyball competitions, sand carving exhibition, beer and barbecue campfire party, beach music party, etc.
12. The 2nd Guangzhou Huangpu Star Fruit Festival
Date: 19th September – 30th November
Venue: Changzhou Island, Huangpu District
Parades & fruit tasting.
13. The 2nd Xiaozhou Art Festival
Date: 1st – 30th November
Venue: Xiaozhou Village, Haizhu District
The festival includes 8 sections: Multimedia Arts, Sound and Music Fest, Open-air Theater, Creation Square, Illustration Wonderland, Graffiti, Dropping in Artists' Studio and Experimental Drama.
14. The 1st Panyu Agricultural Product Expo and Panyu Tourist Culture Gourmet Festival
Date: September – December
Venue: Panyu Plaza, Panyu District
15. Huadu Tourism Culture Festival
Major event: Huadu One-day Trip
16. "Marvelous Yuexu ---- Cantonese Culture Tourism Carnival"
Date: 16th November
Venue: Beijing Road, Guangzhou
17. "Colorful Tianhe" Cultural Art Festival 2009
Date: August – December, 2009
This year, the "International Cultural Activities" has invited many young musicians from all over the world
18. Hot Spring Tourism Culture Festival, Conghua 2009
Date: December
19. Mountain-Hiking Tourism Festival, Zengcheng
Date: November – December
Venue: Baishui Village, Zengcheng City
20. Green Vegetable Festival, Zengcheng 2009
Date: December
Venue: Xiaolourenjia Scenic Spot, Xiaolou Town, Zengcheng
21. Guangzhou (Xintang) International Jeans Fashion Festival and the International Jeans Image Envoy Competition, Xintang
Date: 3rd November (the final)
Venue: Phoenix City Hotel, Xintang, Zengcheng City
[Events in other cities in Guangdong]
For the first time, all 21 cities in Guangdong will stage events during the festival from Nov. 13 to 19. The following are among the most eagerly anticipated events organized by five of them:
Zhaoqing
Officials from the Internationaler Volkssportverband (the International Federation of Popular Sports) will join Guangdong provincial officials and hiking enthusiasts on a 10-km hike around the picturesque Seven-Star Crags on Nov. 14.
Along the route, they will be treated to a display of local folk arts and specialties, including Zhaoqing-style glutinous rice dumplings, Duanxi ink slabs and local folk songs and dancing.
A grand tai chi performance will be staged in Dinghu Hill on the same day.
Bird watching is scheduled for Nov. 15 at the Star Lake National Wetland Park. This will coincide with a festival celebrating tangerine and jade products taking place in Sihui, Zhaoqing.
Guangning County will host a bamboo culture festival and a bamboo products trade fair Dec. 23 and 24.
Shaoguan
A festival featuring the worship of King Pan, a distant ancestor of the Yao ethnic people, will take place in Ruyuan County in early November.
Visitors also have the option of visiting the city's Danxia Mountain, which takes its name from the scientific term for the unique red-colored ancient geological formations that have seen the site nominated as a World Natural Heritage site.
Nanhua Temple, one of the three major Buddhist temples in Guangdong, is also a must-see attraction for many during a trip to Shaoguan.
An excursion to the ancient Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, considered the birthplace of the people of the Pearl River Delta region, may also prove appealing.
For the more practically minded, the maple leaves in Xinfeng county turn red at the end of November and visitors will have the opportunity to make glutinous rice cakes under the tutelage of local farmers.
Huizhou
A festival featuring fire dog dancing by the Yao ethnic people of Lantian in Longmen County will be held between Nov. 9 and 18. This will be complemented by an exhibition of paintings by local farmers being held at the county's hot spring resort.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to go sea fishing at the coastal hot spring resorts in Huidong County during the same period.
Zhuhai
The Zhuhai International Circuit will play host to the second Chinese round of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Asia's premiere motorcycle road racing event, between Dec. 11 and 13. Fans of all things fast can also enjoy the fourth round of the 2009 China Superbike Championship of the year around the same time.
The city is also known for its sculpture of the Zhuhai Fisher Girl, as well as a long winding seaside path, known as the "lover's road." Visitors from Beijing and beyond may also be intrigued exploring the New Yuanming Palace, built in the style of its namesake, Yuanmingyuan, in the capital.
Meizhou
Visitors with access to a car will be able to experience the highlights of Hakka culture in Meizhou, during the week beginning Dec. 5, as part of an initiative arranged by the local tourism authorities.
A Hakka-style food festival, also featuring Hakka singing and dancing, is scheduled for Dec. 5 and 6 in Meijiang District. Thirsty visitors may also join the tea festival in Meixian County in early December.
Meizhou is one of the major centers for Hakka people worldwide. Originally meaning "guest families," the Hakka (or Kejia in putonghua) are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people, who live predominantly in a number of southern provinces. Many believe their ancestors migrated from northern or central China centuries ago.
The Hakka people are well-known for their unique culture, dialect, food and architectural style. The total global population of Hakka people is estimated to be around 30 to 45 million.
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