Featuring diverse spring colors and dynamic illuminations, the annual Huazhao Festival kicked off at the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, presenting traditional Chinese culture in a modern and vibrant way.

　　The flower festival, which celebrates the flower goddess' birthday, boasts a history of over 2,000 years. According to ancient beliefs, the flower goddess controlled human reproduction, and celebrating her birthday became a custom to bring prosperity.

　　Running until the end of April, this year's festival integrates traditional cultures with modern technologies, offering visitors a feast for both the eyes and ears. Colorful illumination shows, parades, as well as dance and musical performance will take place at landmarks within the garden, including Central Plaza, Gold Plaza and Jiuqu (Zigzag) Bridge areas.

　　It is worth noting that the music for the illumination show was tailor-made for Yuyuan by a French musical team, presenting a unique blend of East and West influences, tradition and modernity.

　　In addition to eye-catching shows and cultural performances, a slew of interactive activities are also on offer during the festival. Working with the makeup team of Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a popular Chinese lifestyle platform, the festival includes a market offering visitors immersive experience such as Chinese traditional makeup, fragrance sachet making, flower hairpin wearing, hair braiding, Chinese arrow toss and poetry writing.

　　The annual Huazhao Festival kicks off at the Yuyuan garden in Shanghai on March 20, presenting traditional Chinese culture in a modern and vibrant way. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

　　"Yuyuan's Huazhao Festival perfectly matches with our spring beauty trend. We are bringing some of our beauty bloggers offline to the market to share their experience face to face. There are a lot of visitors from both home and abroad here, and we would like to demonstrate our Chinese traditions and culture, offering them an immersive cultural experience," said Xu Tongru from the makeup team at Xiaohongshu.