The first Hongshan Spring Festival Cultural Festival will be held in Chinese Stone Garden, in Wuxi's Xinwu district, on Dec 28 and 29.

Over 50 time-honored shops selling local specialties will take part in the event. Locals will be able to stock up on necessary provisions for the Spring Festival over the weekend, which are used to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests and feed the family over the long holiday.

Experts will be invited to a cultural forum during the event to talk about traditional customs of the Spring Festival in ancient Wuxi.

A series of events has been prepared at which visitors can learn how to make dumplings and traditional rice cakes, and ask well-known calligraphers to write spring couplets. They can also take part in some sports competitions, including a tug-of-war, skip long ropes, roll iron rings and kick shuttlecocks. Performances such as Wuxi Opera and local storytelling will also be staged.