China holiday travel highlights

With the holiday season just around the corner, there are a lot of fun things to do here in China. Among them, the 2013 Shanghai Tourism Festival is set to kick off this Saturday with a parade, a music festival and markdowns at Shanghai tourist attractions. There.s also the 15th Sand Sculpture Festival in Zhoushan and the annual Wine Fair in Guizhou, which have much to offer.

The 2013 Shanghai Tourism Festival will kick off with a grand parade featuring 21 floats and 32 art ensembles, an all-time record high. Apart from the conventional rose wedding ceremony, new activities like an RV cruise festival will also be joining the line-up for the 24-day carnival.

To stimulate tourist consumption, organizers have also rolled out the discounts. From September 14th to September 18th, up to 52 tourist sites in Shanghai will be offering half price tickets, said Chen Meihong, deputy director of Shanghai Tourism Bureau.

Meanwhile in Zhoushan, the whistle has been blown for the annual Sand Sculpture Festival. Over 30 artists from home and abroad will have the next two weeks to decorate the beach with their artworks.

With the theme "Blue Ocean", the artists will be depicting the unique bond between humans and the ocean. "Most people know the ocean from the beach, we make sand sculptures there on the beach, then we go swimming, enjoy and make sand sculptures. Then we.re gonna go into the water to discover all the shells and little animals living there," sand artist Jeroen said.

And even you.re not a heavy drinker, this peculiar demonstration at the ongoing wine fair in Guizhou may still interest you. This giant tap floats in mid-air and constantly pops out liquor, making passers-by wonder about the mystery behind it.

While some exhibitors bring magic, others have brought the whole kit, reproducing the process of wine making. The fair also features various cultural demonstrations from different regions. So visitors will not only be taking a sip of the wine, but also a taste of the culture behind it.