What's on, and when

The first of them arrive over Dianchi in early October; by November the flocks have spread to Haigeng Dam, Green Lake and the Panlong River, and some 40,000 red-billed gulls stay until late March. Free to watch anywhere along the shore. Buy the special gull food sold at the stalls rather than bread, and do not chase them: a local rule since 2023 makes that an offence.

The 33rd Tianping maple season runs from 1 October to 13 December, and the colour peaks in the second half of November, when the 400-year-old sweetgums above the White Cloud Spring turn orange, crimson and purple. Gates open at 07:00 in season and the park is west of the city in Mudu; weekends are heavy, so go on a weekday morning or take metro line 1 to Mudu and bus 4.

Four days of racing on the Guia Circuit, the street track that closes off downtown Macau, 19 to 22 November: Formula Regional, GT and touring cars, plus the motorcycle race. Thursday and Friday practice are the cheap way in, with grandstand tickets from MOP 100; on race days the Lisboa Bend is where the overtakes happen. Book the hotel months ahead.

From 1 November the city switches on its Christmas: the Central harbourfront becomes a winter town around a 20-metre outdoor tree, with a Christmas market and light shows running across eight landmarks on both sides of Victoria Harbour. It stays up to 3 January, and the New Year countdown over the water on 31 December is the loud finish. Free to walk.

The 25th edition runs October 17 to November 15 — close to 400 productions and 1,100 performances across the city, with about 90% of the stage programme a Shanghai premiere. Big opera, ballet and recital nights sell out first; 6,500 discounted tickets go on sale through the festival's own channels.

Some 7,000 sweet-osmanthus trees come into flower on the slopes above the lake, thickest along Manjuelong Road between Shiwu Cave and Shuile Cave. The scent is strongest in the morning, and teahouses under the trees sell osmanthus Longjing by the cup. Free to walk; the last stretch runs into mid-October.

The smoke trees turn through the back half of October — Fragrant Hills peaks from about October 20 into the first ten days of November, and Mutianyu and Badaling colour in the same weeks. Weekday mornings are the quiet version; the Fragrant Hills cable car spares the climb.

The terraces above Longsheng go from green to gold from late September, and stay that way until the rice is cut — through October, with the last fields down in early November. Ping'an and Dazhai are the classic viewpoints, and the Jinkeng cable car spares the climb. About two hours from Guilin.

The 15th edition is announced for late November, around Huacheng Square and Haixinsha Island on the new city axis — the Canton Tower, East Tower and West Tower lit in unison, and the riverside buildings running a synchronised facade show. Entry is free, with viewing slots booked through the festival's WeChat account.

Summer weekends only — the classical garden lit after dark, with music in the pavilions. Numbers are capped, so book the dated ticket well ahead.

The riverside art mile stays open till 21:00 on Thursdays through summer. Most shows are free; the walk between venues along the water is half the appeal.

The city drinks its own name all through August: beer tents along the Golden Beach venue, live stages, and every brewery you have heard of. Gate tickets are cheap; the beer is not. Winds down in the last week of the month.

From late March the grottoes run a night session: entry 18:00 to 20:00 and everyone out by nine, with the west bank and Xiangshan Temple lit after dark. Same ¥90 as the day ticket, real-name and timed.

The day ticket closes at 18:00; a separate light-show ticket then opens the five-story tower on Snake Hill from 19:30 to 22:30. The lit tower over the Yangtze from the top floor is the picture. Metro line 5 to Simenkou, then a ten-minute walk.

Painted boats run the Qinhuai once the lanterns come on around the Confucius Temple quarter. Buy a ticket at the docks beside the temple and take the loop past the old snack houses; Zhonghua Gate is a walk south along the bank afterwards.

An outdoor grid of stalls on Yangguan East Road, open from early evening until around midnight. Lamb grilled on red-willow branches, apricot-skin water by the cup, melon and dried fruit by the slice, and a lot of souvenirs to walk past. Free to wander, and within a walk of most central hotels.

About an hour on the water past the lit skyline — Canton Tower, the Zhujiang New Town towers, the bridges strung with lights. Dashatou sails from six in the evening to half past ten, every ten to thirty minutes. Tickets are booked under your own name, so carry your passport.

The flat seafront stretch from Baicheng beach past Hulishan Fortress to Zengcuo'an is made for the end of the day. Unlock a share bike from the Alipay mini-app and ride it as the heat drops — palm-lined, with the sea on one side the whole way.

The day-trippers leave, the lanterns come on, and the canals and grey-tiled rooftops turn into the postcard. The bar strip around Sifang Street gets loud; the lanes five minutes off it stay quiet and are the better walk. The ¥50 old-town fee covers a full year — keep the receipt.

Four small lakes linked by bridges in the middle of town, free and open from six. Mornings belong to retired Kunming: singing troupes, card players, tai chi under the trees. Winter adds the black-headed gulls; the rest of the year it is simply the city's living room. Yuantong Temple is ten minutes away on foot.

Downtown Guilin waterways lit and linked into one loop: pagodas, bridges and banyan silhouettes from the deck. Boats leave through the evening; earlier sailings catch the last daylight on the karst.

The stilted riverside complex switches on at dusk and turns into the postcard everyone came for. Shoot it from Qiansimen Bridge or across the Jialing; inside it is shops and crowds, outside it is the view.

Fourteen minutes of synchronised lights and lasers across both sides of Victoria Harbour, every night at eight. The Tsim Sha Tsui promenade gets the classic angle; a Star Ferry crossing timed right gets a moving one.

Free lakeside show by Hubin Road: jets, lights and a soundtrack, in short runs through the evening. Come twenty minutes early for a rail spot, or watch from further along the shore with the pagoda behind.

Nightly open-air show on the lake — projection, fountains and a Tang-dynasty score. Arrive 30 min early for a rail-side spot; book the dated ticket online.

Pandas are most active right after opening, before the summer heat. Be at the gate for 07:30; book the dated, passport-linked ticket the day before.

Roujiamo, hand-pulled noodles and persimmon cakes down the lantern-lit lanes off the Drum Tower. Busiest and best after 19:00; everything pays by QR.

A teahouse variety night — face-changing, hand shadows, fire-spitting — with tea and snacks included. Front rows book out; the balcony is fine and cheaper.

The Pudong branch is free, and since Sep 2024 individuals just walk in — no slot booking needed. Reservations only apply to weekends, public holidays and the blockbuster special exhibitions. Closed Tuesdays.

Student-quarter street food and crafts, Fri–Sun evenings. Skewers, jianbing and bubble tea for pocket change; everything pays by QR, no cash needed.

Kunming Lake is glassy and empty at opening, before the tour groups. Rent a rowboat by the hour; the park ticket is cheap and the morning light is the reward.

The cobbled pedestrian spine of Harbin's old Russian quarter, free to walk and best once the shopfronts light up. Saint Sophia Cathedral, floodlit after dark, is the other half of the same evening. In winter this is also the place you warm up between ice sites.

The 20th edition fills the old factory blocks with 110-plus exhibitions under the theme “Open, in resonance” — digital art, heritage crafts and a night map, running to October 7.

Twenty-one floats and twenty-one troupes from a dozen countries march the Bund on September 12 to open the 37th Shanghai Tourism Festival. Miss it and the floats tour ten districts till October 6. Free to watch along the route.

Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 25 this year. The classic spot is Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, the pavilion by Solitary Hill made for exactly this night — go after the dinner-hour rush.

From late September the lake northeast of Suzhou opens its crab season. Females carry the prized roe first; connoisseurs wait for the males in October and November.

China's biggest trade fair fills the Pazhou complex October 15 to November 4, in three week-long phases. It is a trade event — register online as a buyer with your passport before you go.