Huaqing Palace Scenic Area: Colorful activities to celebrate new year

"The handmade fish lantern is simply stunning, I'm going to share them on my WeChat Moments now," said Zhao Liang, a tourist from Zhejiang province in eastern China, during a visit to Huaqing Palace Scenic Area in Xi'an, Shaanxi province on Wednesday.

To mark New Year's Day, Huaqing Palace, a Tang Dynasty (618–907) cultural scenic spot, offered innovative activities blending culture, folk customs and interactive experiences, including intangible cultural heritage crafts, Tang Dynasty welcome gifts and Tang Palace-themed script-killing games.

The events were part of a nationwide celebration for the start of 2025 and a preparation for the Chinese New Year holiday.

In the Tang Palace, tourists craft handmade fish lanterns, creat New Year's fortune rubbings and explore wooden New Year paintings in a thousand-year-old setting. Amid the beautiful scenery, visitors can also check out the New Year calendar inside Huaqing Palace, make their wishes for 2025 and share blessings and hopes for the future.

Huaqing Palace has also introduced an innovative cultural and tourism experience project, a script-killing game titled "Tang Palace Promotion Record". This project seamlessly blends the stunning scenery of the palace with the popular script kill gameplay, offering tourists a richer, more immersive experience. It opens up fresh possibilities for the integrated development of culture and tourism, adding a fun twist to the historical charm of the area.

From New Year's Day through March, Huaqing Palace will beautifully recreate the enchanting scene of "Snow Falling on Chang'an", offering visitors a chance to experience the romantic winter allure of the prosperous Tang Dynasty palace.

"This year, Huaqing Palace Scenic Area will continue to lead tourism trends with 'China-Chic' elements, enhancing the depth and quality of tourism through culture," said Nie Qinglin, deputy general manager of Shaanxi Huaqing Palace Cultural Tourism Co.

"By promoting cultural dissemination and consumption via tourism, we aim to offer visitors a chance to experience the beauty of culture while nurturing the soul, all while enjoying the natural beauty."