The year's first peach blossoms have begun to bloom along the banks of the North Canal in Tianjin, heralding the arrival of spring.

To celebrate, the city has launched nearly 500 events centered around the 35th Tianjin Canal Peach Blossom Cultural & Commercial Tourism Festival, which began last week.

The festival radiates outward from Taohuadi, or Peach Blossom Dike, a site with hundreds of years of flower-viewing history, to surrounding commercial districts and city landmarks, including the Tianjin Eye. The activities span performances, exhibitions, boat tours and more, transforming a simple appreciation of nature into a comprehensive cultural experience, according to Hongqiao district's culture and tourism bureau.

"The ecological beauty and vibrant local life are being effectively transformed into strong momentum and vigorous vitality for regional development," said Li Hao, head of Hongqiao district.

Hongqiao is known as the cradle of Tianjin's urban development, commerce and modern education, Li said. At the Sancha River Estuary, where the Ziya River, South Canal and North Canal converge, the district has been an essential stop for north-south grain transport since the Grand Canal system took shape more than 600 years ago.

The canal peach blossom festival began in 1990. According to Wang Xi, a host with Tianjin Haihe Media, the event has grown into "a shining cultural calling card of Tianjin spring". This year's focus is on creating a more immersive, diverse and inclusive cultural tourism experience for citizens and tourists.

The festival includes a show about canal culture, which presents performances on flower boats that tell the story of the canal's history through participatory theater. It has also invited professional artists to stage immersive shows, while a traditional Chinese flower boat parade and theater tours are held every day.

Wang said the festival's value extends beyond culture and tourism. Hongqiao has launched more than 30 consumption promotion activities covering catering, accommodation, shopping and entertainment, with major commercial complexes and star hotels in the district offering exclusive discounts, consumption gifts and free parking benefits.

"We have integrated smart elderly care, employment recruitment and health consultations into the festival scene," Wang said. "We have also opened convenient shuttle buses and distributed subway vouchers, allowing citizens to access important public services while enjoying the peach blossoms."

Official data shows the cumulative number of visitors to Taohuadi during the festival has exceeded 300,000 each year.

Over the first two days of this year's festival, the passenger flow of key shopping malls in Hongqiao district increased by 25 percent year-on-year, and sales volume rose by 28 percent.

The occupancy rate of hotels and homestays around festival venues has exceeded 60 percent, according to the district government.

"It effectively links ecological resources, cultural heritage and commercial economy, and injects continuous impetus into the high-quality development of the district's cultural tourism and modern service industries," Li said.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn