Plum and Cherry Blossoms Festival
Date: Early Spring

As early spring comes to Jiangsu, the province's gardens are coated in blankets of pink and white flowers as their many cherry and plum trees come into bloom. While there are plum groves in the gardens and parks of many cities in Jiangsu, some of the most impressive displays are in Nanjing and Wuxi.

Plum blossom is the official flower of Nanjing, and local people traditionally go out and watch the plum blossoms in early spring each year. The area to the south of the Ming Xiaoling Imperial Tomb is one of China's most famous places to see the blooming plum trees. A small hill (originally the burial mound of an emperor) is completely covered in a blanket of beautiful plum blossoms, while the green woods and other gardens nearby are also dotted with plum trees, their light flowers contrasting beautifully with the first green leaves of spring. 

The gardens along Lake Taihu in Wuxi are planted with groves of cherry trees, and when they flower the shoreline is truly beautiful, with thick clusters of white and pink blossoms reflected in the calm water of the lake. The blooming plum and cherry trees also make the classical gardens of Suzhou and Yangzhou even more charming, the shades of pink and white flowers providing splashes of color amidst the carefully placed trees and rocks.

Suzhou Silk Tourist Festival
Date: September 20-25

Suzhou is known as the "Silk Capital", since it is one of the most important silk producers in China. During the Suzhou Silk Tourist Festival, a silk garments exhibition, a fashion performance accompanied by the notable symphony orchestra, and activities that are linked with the theme of silk are held every year to attract people from all over the world. Some famous scenic spots in Suzhou are also highlighted during the festival.

Nanjing Rain Flower Stone Art Festival
Date: September

This is a famous festivals being hold every year, which is organized by Nanjing Tourism Bureau and Nanjing Rain Flower Terrace Administrative Bureau of the Cemetery of Martyrs in the Rain Flower Terrace Scenic Area in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. During the festival, a series of tourism activities will be organized with rain flower stones as main carriers, such as climbing the city walls in the Mid-Autumn Festival, appreciating the bright moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival on the old city walls, and the autumn economic and trade business soliciting fairs and other commercial activities.

Lantern Festival
Date: 15 days after the Chinese New Year

Held two weeks after the Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival is one of the liveliest Chinese festivals and an especially entertaining one for foreign visitors. Nanjing hosts one of China's most lavish and popular lantern displays. There are many legends behind the lantern festival-some claim that it celebrates the success of a palace coup in the Han Dynasty, while others maintain it began when an emperor recovered from a serious illness.

While many ordinary citizens hang lanterns in their homes, the Fuzi Miao area is the liveliest place to see the festival. Already a great place to stroll and window shop, streets and lampposts, storefronts and peddlers' stalls are all festooned with countless red lanterns. The Qinhuai River runs through the area, and its dark waters twinkle with the reflections of the lanterns above. The epicenter of the lantern mania is the old Confucian Temple at the heart of the district. Inside, the ancient inscriptions and statues are overshadowed by elaborate and complex lantern sculptures. Teams of artists create dozens of huge lanterns by crafting wooden frameworks and covering them with translucent colored paper. Often standing over two meters tall, they depict legendary creatures, the animals of the Chinese zodiac, famous buildings, and sometimes even world events! One the streets outside throngs of locals window-shop and chat, their handheld lanterns bobbing like bright buoys on the waves of the crowd.

Hanshan Temple New Year Bell Ringing Festival
Date: Chinese New Year (usually January or February)

The ancient Hanshan Temple in Suzhou hosts a large New Year's festival. In traditional Chinese culture, the stroke of midnight is celebrated by ringing the great bells of Buddhist temples. At Hanshan Temple, a lot of activities and performances have been arranged around the ringing to make it a fascinating and entertaining way to ring in the New Year!

There is a New Year's Eve feast before the bell ringing together with performances of traditional music and dance. In the hours leading up to the ringing the temple takes on a festive air as people from Suzhou arrive to celebrate and watch lion dancers and performers on stilts. The ancient halls are lit by colorful dragon lanterns and decked with decorations evoking wishes for an auspicious New Year. From the main temple come the sounds of the assembled monks chanting Buddhist sutras, wreathed in thick, fragrant clouds of incense smoke. As midnight approaches, a lull of reverent silence falls over the crowds. Everyone listens respectfully as the bell is rung 108 times. Its deep, solemn boom will banish the cares and troubles of the passing year. As the echoes of the last stoke fades, the New Year begins amidst the lively crackle of countless firecrackers.

Fuzi Miao Culture Festival
Date: Late April

Fuzi Miao Culture Festival begins in late April, which makes Nanjing's historic district livelier with many traditional performances being showed. Held in the public square in front of the Fuzi Miao, the festival offers a good chance for tourists to see a wide variety of traditional dances and folk crafts. In addition to the dragon and lion dances, which have become a symbol of China around the world, there are also less well known but equally fascinating Jiangsu folk dances such as the lantern dance and the river oyster dance. In addition to being a great show, these performances are a window for foreigners to better understand traditional Chinese culture. The dancers' costumes are a riot of color, especially in the lion dance, during which the huge lion heads are festooned with spangles and sequins. Performed outdoors in the bustling Fuzi Miao, in front of an ancient temple, the setting of the festival truly recreates the mood of the temple fairs and festivals where these dances were originally held.

In addition to the dances, the festival also showcases many of Jiangsu's folk arts. While traditional arts like Chinese paper cutting and wood carving are beautiful to see and could make great souvenirs, it's even more fascinating to see the process of how they are being made. During the festival you can see craftsmen working on traditional paper cuttings, carving tree roots, making kites, doing miniature carving, and even making "iron pictures," a unique craft which is the result of an argument between a blacksmith and a painter over the merits of their respective crafts. The festival begins on the last weekend in April and lasts for 15 days.

Fuzi Miao Food Festival
Date: September 15

Fuzi Miao district also hosts a special event in September-the Fuzi Miao Food Festival. Fuzi Miao is famous throughout China for its snacks and appetizers, a legacy of the district's centuries-old role as an entertainment and tourism center. The festival's scope extends to include the special foods and culinary techniques of other cities around China, and even features visits by overseas chefs and cooking masters. The festival is a great chance to try some classic Nanjing food, and taste the food of other places you might have missed on your trip in China. And great food is the best way to relax after shopping at Fuzi Miao's shops and bazaars. The festival begins on September 15th and lasts for two weeks.

Dragon boat races
Date: Chinese Lunar Calendar 5/5 (usually June)

A Dragon boat is a very long and narrow human powered boat used in the team paddling sport or Dragon boat racing which originated in China. For racing events, dragon boats are always rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails and are required to carry a large drum aboard.

The dragon race held in Nanjing is one of the most dynamic dragon boat festivals in China. In recent years, many companies and universities in the city have begun sponsoring and organizing teams - even training all year to prepare for May's race. The race is held on a Saturday in May in Lake Mochou Park in the heart of Nanjing. The lake is a beautiful setting for the races-rimmed by trees and traditional pavilions, the reflections of Nanjing's skyscrapers glitter in the water. On the day of the race, the park is festooned with flags and decorations and crowds of people gather on the shore to watch the race. Every year almost 30 teams compete, the heats, finals, and semi finals lasting from morning till late afternoon. The dragon boats get their name from their long shape, with a carved dragon head at their prow, and the stern trailing off into a long dragon's tail. They are paddled by teams of around 10, each person with one oar, their pace set by the pounding of a huge drum in the boat. The race is a short, straight, intense sprint across the lake, while the rhythmic thuds of the drums echo across the water.

Xuzhou Meal Festival
Date: October & November

Xuzhou, with its terra-cotta warriors, ancient tombs, and stone carvings, is a window into the world of Han Dynasty of China.  In October and November you can have the chance to actually try the same foods that were enjoyed at those long ago feasts. Working with scholars, historians, and even archaeologists, chefs in Xuzhou have created a banquet modeled on those in the Han Dynasty. Many poems and stories from that period provided valuable clues about historic cooking styles, especially since descriptions of feasts were one of the most popular genres of poetry at that time. Archaeology and stone carvings provided much valuable information about serving methods and tableware. The result is a remarkably authentic and completely memorable meal. Along with delicious dishes, all tableware, dishes, and utensils are like those of the Han dynasty. The meal is a unique chance to experience Chinese history in a new and tasty way.

Zhouzhuang Water Town Traditional Arts Festivals
Date: April 3

Held in the ancient water town of Zhouzhuang, this festival celebrates the arts of the water towns, not only their folk arts, but also contemporary photography and painting inspired by their unique and picturesque environment. Visitors can see and take part in demonstrations of traditional crafts and games, and traditional boats once again ply the narrow canals of Zhouzhuang.

Climb the Nanjing City Wall Festival (Pa Cheng Tou)
Date: January 16 of the Chinese Lunar Calendar

Every year in this day, Local people will climb the Zhonghua Gate with families or friends. It is a very old Chinese tradition and they believe that this will give a healthy and stable life to their family. Besides, it is also a good exercise in the winter day to go out and enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air.