Short Holiday Trip to Xinghua: Enjoy Crabs, Chrysanthemums, and the Immersive Show 'Yi Nian Qian Duo' for an Autumn Feast

After seeing the terraced rape flower sea in Wuyuan in spring, I had been longing for the floating flower sea of Qian Duo in Xinghua, imagining what it would be like to see flowers blooming on water. This autumn, I finally came to Taizhou Xinghua and entered the Qian Duo Scenic Area, where 'the river has thousands of bends of clear water, and every field is covered with yellow blossoms.' Standing on the viewing platform, the scene before my eyes left me stunned, muttering to myself, 'So magnificent! So amazing! So breathtaking!'

The flower sea here is beyond imagination. In autumn, the crisscrossing raised fields of Qian Duo are covered in chrysanthemums of various colors. Thousands of raised fields, varying in size and shape, are surrounded by water and separated from each other, like little islands of different colors. It is truly hard to imagine without seeing it in person.

During the visit, I learned that Xinghua, with abundant water and little land, is a typical watery region. As early as over 750 years ago, the wise ancestors began to take soil from under the water, digging mud in lakes and marshes to pile up into raised fields. Each field was made freely, with varying sizes and shapes, forming a unique natural water garden. Today, this place has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

What is even more commendable is that this unique heritage has not been left to lie dormant in museums; it has been carried forward by the hardworking people of Xinghua. In spring, the rape flower sea is one of the four major flower seas in China, the most distinctive of its kind. In autumn, clusters of golden chrysanthemums bloom in full splendor on the raised fields, adorning the most unique and rarest autumn scenery.

Standing on the viewing platform and looking into the distance, the endless sea of raised fields resembles a giant bonsai garden on water, forming a magnificent, colorful scroll. Taking a boat tour is even more delightful. As the boat drifts through the raised fields, it feels like touring a sea of flowers among a thousand islands. Boats move on the water, people wander among the flowers—it is so beautiful that one's mind is dazzled and enchanted.

Drunk! Crabs! Happy! This National Day holiday just before Mid-Autumn Festival, you must come to Taizhou. The 'Crab Tasting, Chrysanthemum Appreciation, Music and Food Festival' at the Qian Duo Scenic Area in Xinghua has begun. Come to Xinghua to tour the thousand-island flower sea, savor the delicious hairy crabs that grow among the raised fields and flower sea, and watch the immersive performance 'Yi Nian Qian Duo,' set against the grand backdrop of the flower fields.

Xinghua is located in the central part of Jiangsu Province, on the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta, between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, in the hinterland of the Lixia River region. It is a famous historical and cultural city in Jiangsu Province. The unique water quality and sandy soil of the Lixia River water town provide the optimal geographical environment for cultivating hairy crabs, earning Xinghua the title of 'China's First City for River Crab Farming.' One out of every eight ecological hairy crabs in the country comes from Xinghua. Come to Xinghua in golden autumn to taste top-quality crabs, satisfying your palate, and enjoy the unparalleled flower sea. The combination of crab tasting and chrysanthemum appreciation is truly 'flawless.'

From September 26 to October 6, during the 'Crab Tasting, Chrysanthemum Appreciation, Music and Food Festival,' there will be daily intangible cultural heritage performances, gourmet tasting, and immersive shows. Here, blooming chrysanthemums meet plump hairy crabs—a passionate collision of sight and taste, a dual feast waiting for you to savor.