As the chorus of cicadas heralds the flavor of summer, ancient water towns and tourist attractions across Shanghai are jointly presenting a cultural and tourism feast as part of the ongoing summer tourism season of the 36th Shanghai Tourism Festival.

The Ancient Town Intangible Cultural Heritage Season was launched in Zhujiajiao Ancient Town in suburban Qingpu district, known as "China's first ancient town for inbound tourists", on July 10.

The event is themed on five topics: Explore Ancient Towns, Discover Nature, Listen to Opera, Practice Martial Arts, and Play with Crafts. Across Shanghai, museums, heritage sites, cultural centers, ancient towns, and parks will host over 100 themed activities, including hands-on workshops, exhibitions, and musical performances.

Here are some highlights of the event across Qingpu, Jinshan, and Songjiang districts:

Zhujiajiao town

Strolling through the alleyways of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town this summer, you may unexpectedly encounter pop-up performances of The Peony Pavilion, a classic Kunqu Opera piece written by Tang Xianzu during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Themed salons offer visitors a platform to explore the contemporary relevance of traditional culture through engaging dialogues.

As night falls, the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) Magic Night will illuminate the town with lanterns, traditional Chinese hanfu attire, and night markets, which will weave an irresistible tapestry of ancient charm, transforming Zhujiajiao into a vibrant cultural hub.

Local heritage like Qingpu's intangible heritage art chuanquan, a form of Chinese martial arts called boat boxing, will be showcased.

Jinze town

At Dalian Lake, pink-and-white blossoms blanket the water, creating a picturesque setting for admiring the scenery and harvesting fresh lotus seeds.

For sweet seasonal rewards, visitors are invited to pick ripened fruits at local orchards, a juicy celebration of nature's bounty.

You can also paddle kayaks through narrow canals or glide on stand-up boards, turning splashes into laughter on Dianshan Lake and Cenbu village's waterways.

Wandering through Jinze's bridges and lanes and enjoying the melody of pingtan (storytelling and singing in the Suzhou dialect) performances is another delightful activity. Also, be sure not to miss traditional local snacks like zharou, or straw-wrapped pork, and zhuangyuangao, a kind of rice cake.

Fengjing town

Fengjing Ancient Town in Jinshan district, a water town with profound historical and cultural heritage, is exactly the place for art buffs this summer as the Fengjing Comic Art Season has started.

With their unique perspectives and skillful brushes, 12 talented comic artists have created 24 comic works themed on Fengjing, which are now being showcased across the town.

Sun Shaobo's work Welcome to Wunu Wuli! shows Fengjing's friendly atmosphere in a humorous style. "Wunu Wuli" means "my home" in Fengjing dialect. The work is placed at the entrance of Ding Cong Art Museum, conveying the hospitality of Fengjing people.

Whether in comics or reality, the Ding Cong Art Museum is a bright pearl of Fengjing. It is not only a memorial to Ding Cong (1916-2009), one of China's finest illustration artists, but also an important symbol of Fengjing's culture.

Jiang Jianwen's work Three Bridges of Delicacies fills Fengjing Ancient Town's food map with bright colors and an appetizing composition. In the painting, there are three protagonists: one holding a tempting pork knuckle, one enjoying the food, and one holding steamed white fish. The background vividly depicts the bustling atmosphere and culinary charm of the ancient town.

In reality, Sanqiaoli (the area around the three bridges) is the core area of Fengjing, where one can find not only traditional delicacies such as zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), stinky tofu and begonia cakes, but also various restaurants, pubs and homestays.

Sijing town

Sijing is a millennium-old town with a rich cultural heritage in suburban Songjiang district.

This summer tourism season, Shanghai Jingju Theatre and Sijing Shijin xiluogu (a local traditional percussion ensemble) performers will jointly host traditional music performances, creating new sparks from the collision of traditional Chinese opera and modern stage.

Activities like parent-child practice of tai chi and martial arts will revitalize traditional sports.

Visitors to Sijing should come hungry, as a trip to the town isn’t complete without tasting its signature delicacies.

Sixiaolong soup dumplings, with their thin skin, generous filling and rich juice, are available in popular pork, crab roe and vegetable flavors.

Sources: WeChat account of Qingpu district administration of culture and tourism at "qptour", Fengjing town government, Sijing town government