During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, Hongjiang, with an theme of “Don’t travel in a far place; Hongiang is your best choice”, creates an immersive New Year cultural and tourism feast by integrating experiencing intangible cultural heritage customs, agricultural culture, with enjoying mountain and water scenery and visiting New Year markets, etc. By the end of the seventh day of the first lunar month of 2026, Hongjiang has received a total of 1.2696 million tourists during the spring festival holiday, achieving a comprehensive tourism revenue of 229 million yuan.
In Hongjiang, tourists visit ancient towns, taste folk customs, appreciate beautiful mountains and waters, and enjoy delicious food, immersing themselves in a unique New Year's flavor. They all exclaim, “It is worth having a trip to Hongjiang for it is full of New Year's flavor.” Wang Fenying, the deputy mayor of the local government, transforms herself into the "Princess Qianyang" to "call" for the cultural tourism of her hometown, becoming popular on the internet and making Hongjiang full of New Year's atmosphere. From Qianyang Ancient Town, to Anjiang Hybrid Rice Park, and then to Xuefeng Mountain Scenic Area, Hongjiang City is full of lively scenes everywhere, with each of the three major scenic spots showcasing their own characteristics, making every trip exciting. Strolling through the ancient town of Qianyang, tourists are firstly welcomed by thousands of red lanterns reflecting on the red ancient alleys, the NPC of the Tang Dynasty poets with impromptu couplets, and then by Dragon and Lion Dances and the God of Wealth parading through the streets. They exchange lucky bags and pass on lucky lanterns, filled with laughter and joy. The activities of praying for bless in the Confucian Temple, enjoying amazing view of the Lotus Tower, experiencing intangible cultural heritages of paper cuttings, weaving traditional clothing of the Han Dynasty, and making tea and glutinous rice cake, etc, bring strong atmosphere of traditional lunar new years to the visitors.
In Anjiang, the flavor of farming is unique and strong. The agricultural themed performance at Dashuping Harvest Theater is full of warmth and the scene of paying tribute to Academician Yuan Longping is extremely moving. In the memorial park of Anjiang Agricultural School, adults and children tie blessing belts and DIY Tomatoes on sticks together. They are all full of joy. On the Museum Square, the birthplace of hybrid rice, a specialty food market gathers flavors from various regions of Huaihua, receiving over 20000 visitors in each single day. Circus performances, Tang costume turntables, and parent-child amusement projects are staged one after another, with cheers echoing one after another. The warm wishes from the high-speed railway station make tourists feel even stronger sense of familiarity. “The atmosphere is so great!”, said one tourist. On February 21st, the Harvest Theater in Dashuping, Anjiang, Hongjiang City was crowded with people, and tourists who watched the “Money Comes Soon, Wealth Flows to Yuanjiang” cultural performance were all thrilled.
During the Spring Festival, Hongjiang's entire consumption chain of "food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment" is full of vitality. Local snacks such as Spring rolls and horse washing pot noodles are favored, and the average daily sales have increased significantly than usual. The overall occupancy rate of hotels and homestay guesthouses in the ancient town of Qianyang and the core scenic area of Anjiang has exceeded 70%. A number of measures to benefit people have effectively activated consumption potential. To ensure that tourists can travel with peace of mind and comfort, the local authority has set up service points in various scenic spots and transportation nodes to strengthen traffic guidance and have order maintenance and safety inspections, so as to provide comprehensive and refined services to allow tourists from all directions to enjoy a happy and peaceful spring festival holiday here.
(Translated by Chen Min)