"So beautiful!" At the Lychee Bay in Guangzhou, flower-adorned boats draped in red and pink, bursting with festive blooms, drew exclamations from a European tourist as she captured the scene with her camera. On Feb. 12, Guangzhou's most representative Lingnan-style waterborne flower market kicked off at the Yongqing Fang tourism area in Liwan, attracting large crowds of residents, domestic tourists, and international visitors who came specifically to experience the "flower street" and soak in the most authentic Lingnan Spring Festival atmosphere.
A Wen Wei Po reporter wandering through the market noted the international presence at this year's waterborne flower market. Six young travelers from France made a special trip to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) during the Chinese New Year, traveling from Hong Kong up to Guangzhou to personally experience the festive ambiance.
At the intangible cultural heritage food experience zone of the waterborne flower market, oil sizzled vigorously in large woks, with fragrant aromas filling the air. A young French tourist carefully lowered a wrapped piece of egg twists into the oil. With a sizzle, the pale white batter quickly turned golden and crispy. As the freshly fried egg twists emerged from the wok, several young French visitors joyfully held up a ladle full of the crispy treats, posing for photos to document this moment of "GBA festive flavor."
"Delicious!" Jules, a young Frenchman, remarked to the reporter in fluent Cantonese. This was his and his friends' first time experiencing Guangdong's tradition, which they found highly entertaining.
"I learned Cantonese from my girlfriend, who originally hails from Guangdong, and I find the GBA especially endearing," Jules shared. He added that their first stop in China was Hong Kong, where they leisurely explored and sampled various cuisines. Their second stop was Guangzhou.
"I was able to communicate in Cantonese throughout the trip, and I found it very convenient."
He further mentioned that he comes from Lyon, France, a city whose name means "lion" in French. Spotting the lion dance performances at the waterborne flower market felt serendipitous and left him deeply captivated by the richness of Chinese culture.
Lisa, a French woman visiting China for the first time, said she and her friends deliberately chose to travel to GBA during the Chinese New Year. They plan to stay for over ten days and intend to bring back dried meat and pastries to share with family and friends in France. Besides strolling through the flower market, she also admired Guangzhou's lantern displays, with lights shimmering on the water like scenes from a movie, which she found incredibly romantic.
Like Jules and Lisa, an increasing number of overseas tourists are choosing to spend the Spring Festival in China to immerse themselves in the holiday spirit. Data shows that in 2025, China expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to 48 countries, while reciprocal visa-free agreements increased to 29 countries. On the eve of the 2026 Spring Festival, inbound travel orders to China surged dramatically, with flight bookings quadrupling year-on-year. Notably, bookings from several European countries saw a twofold increase.
Dressed in Hanfu and adorned with floral hairpins, "flower-selling maidens" glided through the waterways on decorated boats, while "peddlers" carrying flower-laden poles and bamboo baskets wandered among the crowds. The echoes of traditional flower market vendors' cries filled the air, transporting visitors back in time to ancient Guangzhou.
This year, the waterborne flower market introduced NPCs who roamed the streets selling flowers. Many tourists unexpectedly encountered these vintage-style vendors, stopping to take photos and interact, adding to the already lively atmosphere.
The reporter happened upon a young woman named Xiaoyao, dressed in Tang dynasty-style attire and carrying a bamboo basket overflowing with flowers. She held a small bamboo pole adorned with festive Spring Festival creative items such as lion heads. She told the reporter that she deliberately postponed her return home this year to participate in the NPC flower-selling activity.
"Besides selling flowers, I also crafted over a dozen small horse-themed figurines. To my surprise, they sold out in less than ten minutes," she laughed. She noted that the atmosphere at the flower market was wonderful, with many locals specifically posing for photos with her, making the experience especially fun and fulfilling for her.
Additionally, this year's Guangzhou waterborne flower market collaborated with the Lingnan Flower Market, seamlessly integrating folk activities with market production and sales. This initiative enabled a direct connection between flower-growing bases and the waterfront market, allowing visitors to purchase a wide variety of Chinese New Year flowers of the same variety and quality found in professional markets.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalists: Lu Jingyi, Huang Baoyi)
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