The 2026 Xinghua "Crab and Chrysanthemum Appreciation" tourism promotional event has arrived in Cangzhou, Hebei province, Heze in Shandong province, and Hefei in Anhui province, inviting guests to embark on some autumn travel to Xinghua, a cherished water city in Jiangsu province.
In Cangzhou, the promotional event kicked off with the tourism micro-film "Traveling Across Xinghua", offering Xinghua's picturesque views through the interplay of light and shadow. Xinghua also introduced a two-day flowering viewing route in Heze for visitors to enjoy the attractive scenery in Xinghua and Taizhou — a prefecture-level city that administers Xinghua.
In Hefei, Xinghua offers an interesting autumn cultural and tourism package, which combines hairy crabs with The Water Margin (or Outlaws of the Marsh) culture.
Hairy crab is popular in the Xinghua market. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]
Xinghua brought local flavors such as crab roe bun, rice sweet wine, and crab oil sauce on-site, attracting many guests to stop and have a taste.
Chen Ningjun, deputy director of Xinghua's culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau, said Xinghua, as the "number one city for river crab breeding in China", unveiled a new variety of crab dubbed "Xinghua No 1" this year. This variety is relatively large, plump and boasts a creamy yellow color.
Chen added that nearly 1,000 mu (66.67 hectares) of chrysanthemums are also about to bloom in the Qianduo Scenic Area, covering quite a number of varieties.
The "Crab and Chrysanthemum Appreciation" series of activities in Xinghua is being launched from September to the end of October.