Some 30,000 local retail, catering and tourism firms are expected to participate in the 2009 Hangzhou Leisure and Shopping Festival held from December 5 to January 3 in the capital of east China's Zhejiang province.

The massive marketing promotion will be staged in all districts and counties of Hangzhou.

Organizers said tourists as well as locals will have the opportunity to taste local delicacies, experience local life and buy local products at good bargains.

Hangzhou is a renowned tourism destination in China famous for its picturesque West Lake, Longjing tea and silk.

The festival is one in a range of city-sponsored events designed to stimulate demand and attract more tourists in the face of the global economic downturn.

Locals can benefit from special offers at city's major retail outlets offering goods ranging from home appliances and garments to daily goods at favorable prices.

Gourmets will be delighted that many of the city's time-honored restaurants such as Louwailou, Huazhongcheng, Kuiyuanguang and Taizilou will offer discounted prices. Some restaurants will even offer free meals, hoping to benefit later from the goodwill generated by their food and service.

The city's many traditional commercial streets will be the must-see places for tourists, including Qinghefang Street built in the style of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) when Hangzhou was the capital of the dynasty.

Visitors can select from a wide range of local handicrafts that are handmade in the backyards of stores that line Qinghefang.

Silk and tea, noted Hangzhou specialties, are always top choices for tourists.

On Silk Street, a venue to sell locally produced silk products - said to be among the best in China and even the world - about 600 silk producers and dealers will exhibit their products during the festival.

Fashion shows highlighting silk in traditional Chinese and modern styles will be staged on the Wulin Road, the commercial hub of Hangzhou.

For tourists with a special love of tea, the city's renowned teahouses including Hupanju, Qianyun, Taotaoju, Chenghuangge and Qingteng offer Longjing and other local teas.

Leisure tour activities will be also on offer on Nanshan Road, a street famous for cafes, Western-style restaurants and galleries.

Tourists can also go beyond the city center to suburban areas like Fuyang, Tonglu, Jiande, Chun'an and Lin'an, where they can spend a day or two in rural resorts and rustic restaurants to taste the newly harvested fruits, wild vegetables and delicacies from the mountains.

(China Daily 12/17/2009 page3)