The Lantern Festival was celebrated with lively energy in Taizhou on Feb 5, with a number of interesting folk activities held in the city.

The five monitored scenic spots in Taizhou city – in East China's Jiangsu province – received 143,798 tourists during the Jan 21-27 Chinese New Year holiday, a surge of 230.27 percent year-on-year.

The Taizhou Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau – together with the culture and tourism departments of districts and county-level cities will stage a series culture and tourism events during the upcoming Spring Festival.

President Xi Jinping sent his festive greetings on Wednesday to people throughout China ahead of Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, which falls on Sunday.

With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, the folks in the Jiangyan district are now frantically busy preparing their local festive food.

Folks in the Jiangyan district of Taizhou city witnessed the spectacle of fish leaping out of the water and they celebrated a bumper harvest, as the winter fishing festival kicked off on the Qinhu River on Dec 31.

The Taoyuan Park is currently offering free admissions, in an initiative that will run to Feb 6.

A New Year's carnival will kick off on Dec 31 at the north square of Taizhou ancient street in Hailing district – the central district of Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province.