Road Trip to Qiandao Lake’s Wenyuan Lion City: Rediscovering Lost New Year Traditions with Mom

Where did the festive spirit go?

A while back, chatting with my mom, I remembered how a month or two before Spring Festival when I was little, she’d start preparing all kinds of New Year treats in advance. She’d buy chickens, ducks, and geese, cure them and hang them to air-dry for over a month. She’d buy White Rabbit and Golden Monkey creamy candies, sunflower seeds, and peanuts, but would lock them away until the New Year arrived. Back then, our small hometown would empty out as everyone gathered at home to watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV, play cards, and hardly anyone thought of going out. That’s my memory of the festive New Year feeling—but where has all that gone now? In the e-commerce age, you can buy anything with a few taps on your phone, even on New Year’s Eve. More and more people choose to travel or eat their reunion dinner in restaurants during the holiday, and these changes have slowly chipped away at that traditional atmosphere.

As we talked about this, I happened to hear that Wenyuan Lion City at Qiandao Lake was hosting the first Chunan Southwest–Qiandao Lake Folk New Year Festival from December 30, 2023, to February 25, 2024. So I packed up the whole family for a road trip, and we spent two wonderful days and one night there. The main mission: to help Mom relive the good old feeling of shopping for New Year goods, and let my three-year-old son, Little Hulu, soak up the pre-holiday excitement. The side quest: to cruise the lake, explore the streets, have fun at a park, wrap up 2023 on a sweet note, and kick off 2024 in great spirits.

Qiandao Lake First Folk Life Festival

Qiandao Lake—also known as Xin’an River Reservoir—is located in Chun’an County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It was formed by damming the upper reaches of the Xin’an River to build the Xin’an River Hydropower Station. The rising water submerged countless hills and mountains, leaving behind 1,078 islands, which is how it got the name “Thousand Island Lake.” Today, there are five major tourist zones: Southeast, Central, Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast lake areas.

According to historical records like the Chun’an County Annals, in October 1955, the then Ministry of Electric Power chose a site at Tongguan, at the border between Chun’an and Jiande, to build the Xin’an River Hydropower Station. On September 21, 1959, the river was sealed, and the reservoir began filling. From that moment on, the ancient county seat of Shicheng (originally Sui’an County) quietly sank into the depths of Qiandao Lake. Today, its original location lies under the Southwest Lake Area, near Jiangjia Town in Chun’an County. So I find it wonderfully fitting that the First Folk Life Festival was held right at Wenyuan Lion City in Jiangjia Town—a scenic area built in tribute to the submerged old town. It brought back the bustle of the past and made our family even more eager to explore.

On the first day of the New Year holiday (December 30), Jiangjia Town was a riot of gongs, drums, and colorful flags. Right at the gate of Wenyuan Lion City, there was a “Welcome Home for the New Year” opening ceremony, a scene overflowing with festive cheer. We watched dragon and lion dances, listened to introductions about Jiangjia Town and the lost Lion City, and saw interviews with local characters.

We followed the crowd into the city, and the visitors in front got red envelopes from the “God of Wealth.” Along the way, folk performances kept drawing us in. Some immersive street dramas reminded me of the traveling troupes that would visit every corner of the countryside during my childhood holidays, drawing spectators from ten miles around.

Before we knew it, lunchtime arrived, and we joined the long-table banquet. I’ve had long-table feasts before in Guizhou and at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, but Wenyuan Lion City’s version had its own local flavor. Most of the dishes were specialty foods of Jiangjia Town, and of course, the Qiandao Lake big-head fish made an appearance—the spicy fish head went brilliantly with rice.

Little Hulu doesn’t eat spicy food, so I bought him a bowl of sweet, sticky She ethnic black rice from a nearby shop. Soft, fragrant, and delicious. I noticed that the market stalls weren’t cookie-cutter copies of pedestrian street food in most tourist spots—there was real character and it was a joy to browse.

After the long-table banquet, we officially launched our “shopping spree” along the Chun’an Southwest Water-Land New Year Goods Avenue! Honestly, shopping online so much takes away the simple joy of strolling through a market. It’s been a long time since I last saw my mom carefully pick out treats and haggle good-naturedly with vendors. But here, the avenue was lined with reputable local sellers and prices were clearly marked, so no need to haggle. Still, Mom charmed a few shopkeepers into throwing in some little freebies, haha.

All in all, we spent just over 200 yuan on goodies. We got a whole cured salty chicken, a bag of Qiandao Lake dried fish, and a few snacks—mostly for the atmosphere. Just like when I was a kid, the New Year market wasn’t only about shopping; there were games too. We tried pitch-pot, a pattern-matching mahjong tile game, and more, winning some Qiandao Lake themed souvenirs like luggage tags and tape measures.

At the Yingshan Academy in the heart of the scenic area, local elders were writing Spring Festival couplets by hand. I hadn’t seen handwritten couplets in years—printed ones are so cheap and convenient, handed out free by banks and malls during the holiday. The scent of ink outside the academy brought back a wave of familiar nostalgia. We took a turn, got a couplet, and plan to paste it on our front door at New Year’s.

By around 4 p.m., we drove back to our homestay for a little break. In the evening, we returned to the Pushì Hotel near Lion City, where a nostalgic “Lion City Memories” fireside concert was underway on the lawn. We listened to an eclectic mix of songs, roasted snacks by the fire, and soaked in the cozy vibe. And so ended a full and joyful day.

In Qiandao Lake’s Southwest Lake Area lies Longchuan Bay Scenic Area. The bay is interlaced with islets large and small, winding channels and coves, creating a unique landscape of “lakes within islands and islands within lakes.” We headed there the next morning.

The scenic area is divided into several zones, easily reachable by sightseeing bus. The first stop was a recreation area with fun for both adults and kids. Little Hulu’s mom couldn’t wait to try out a few rides with him.

Elsewhere, a group of playful adults were riding a giant swing, laughing like big kids.

Taking a boat out on the lake is an unmissable Qiandao Lake experience. As the morning mist lifted, Little Hulu finally got the boat ride he’d been asking about for two days. There are two types of boats at Longchuan Bay: regular ones, and those with VR goggles that offer a virtual glimpse of the submerged ancient city. We took the regular boat. Little Hulu sat beside his grandma, behaving beautifully. It was his first boat ride at age three, completing his set of transport experiences: plane, high-speed train, subway, bus, and car—pretty much every vehicle he knows!

Longchuan Bay was also once a place where educated urban youth went during the “Down to the Countryside” movement, so there’s an area to relive that bygone life. You can eat from a communal pot, watch old films, and explore themed museums and guesthouses. Obviously, these things resonated more with my mom. She was born in 1965 and didn’t directly experience the “Up to the Mountains, Down to the Villages” era, but these old settings gave her a nostalgic glimpse of her youth, and she shared many stories from her younger days.

Huma Adventure Park

On the afternoon of the second day, during our return trip, we stopped at Huma Adventure Park. I never expected there’d be a mountain-top adventure park perched beside Qiandao Lake! The park is in Qiushan Village, Jiangjia Town, and it’s an outdoor-themed mountain park.

The park has two cable-car sections leading to two play areas. At the end of the first cable car, the mid-mountain area offers activities like a shouting spring, a rainbow slide, and a “dad-powered” roller coaster (dads push to make it go). It felt perfect for families with kids aged 5 to 10.

From there, the second cable car takes you to the summit, where you can soak in the panoramic view of Qiandao Lake’s “thousand islands and thousand hills” and try even more thrilling experiences: a transparent cantilevered glass viewing corridor and a cliff-swing. This area is ideal for young couples and thrill-seekers.

What’s fun is that instead of taking the cable cars back down, you can swap both sections for more exciting rides. Replace the upper cable section with a glass slide and the lower one with a 4.6‑km-long super luge track—truly recommended and so much fun. Each super luge fits only one person, and Little Hulu was too small, so he rode the cable car back down with his grandma.

Tips: Opening hours are 08:30–17:30 (because the cable car rides are long, it’s best to enter before 15:30, otherwise you may not get the full experience). Entry is 68 yuan/person; the recommended sightseeing combo ticket is 320 yuan/person.

There’s no shortage of places to stay around Wenyuan Lion City. Beyond the Wenyuan Lion City Pushì Hotel and the guesthouses in Longchuan Bay, we chose Xuan Shan Yun Ju Homestay at No. 1 Wangjia Bridge, Shishi Road, Jiangjia Town. Its main draw was comfort—just like being home. The rooms had underfloor heating, so Little Hulu could kick off his shoes and run around in socks. There was also a big bathtub; I took a warm bath with him that evening.

The homestay’s public facilities and surroundings were another reason we picked it. Grandma took Little Hulu out on a scooter for a long, happy while, and then Little Hulu’s mom joined them to ride the homestay’s tandem bicycle along the lakeshore.

Meanwhile, I—driver, diaper-bag packer, luggage hauler—the multi-tasking dad—could finally kick back and rest. The feeling of three generations enjoying time together was just wonderful. This kind of trip, easy on parents and fun for kids, is something we’ll need to plan more often! And if you’d like a taste of such rich festive atmosphere, it’s not too late: the event runs until February 25, so visiting during the Spring Festival holiday will surely be even more immersive!