If you ever have the chance to spend Lunar New Year in southern China, I highly recommend visiting Zhuhai.
Unlike the cold winters of northern China or the crowded streets of big cities, Zhuhai feels calm and relaxed during the holiday. The sea breeze, warm sunshine, and slower pace of life make the New Year feel especially comfortable and peaceful.
If you come to Zhuhai for the Spring Festival, here’s how you could spend a few beautiful days — and the best part is, every place on this little journey is dog-friendly, so you can bring your pup along too.
Visit the Flower Market Before the New Year
In Guangdong, there is one tradition that almost every family follows before the Lunar New Year — visiting the flower market and buying New Year flowers.
The flower markets before the Spring Festival are incredibly lively. The air is filled with the fragrance of fresh flowers. Streets are lined with kumquat trees, orchids, narcissus, and peach blossoms, creating a scene full of bright colors and festive energy.
It’s a lovely place to walk through with your dog long streets filled with flowers and people enjoying the celebration.
Each plant carries a special meaning in Chinese culture.
Kumquat trees symbolize prosperity and good fortune.
Peach blossoms represent love, luck, and new connections.
Orchids stand for elegance and wealth.
And money trees are believed to bring prosperity in the coming year.
Before the New Year arrives, many families like to bring a few of these plants home, placing them in their living rooms as a symbol of good luck for the year ahead.
Even if you’re just passing by, it’s easy to be swept up by the joyful atmosphere. You might find yourself bringing home a small plant too as if the new year has quietly begun.
Watch a Traditional Lion Dance on the First Day of the Lunar New Year
On the morning of the first day of Lunar New Year, traditional lion dances can be seen in many places across southern China.
In Zhuhai, a wonderful place to experience this is Beishan Courtyard, where the historic Yang Clan Ancestral Hall stands. The ancestral hall is open to visitors for free and is a beautiful example of Lingnan architecture from the Qing Dynasty. Around the building you can see detailed stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings that show the craftsmanship of the time.
At around 10 a.m. on the first day of the New Year, a traditional lion dance performance usually begins in front of the ancestral hall.
The sound of drums and gongs fills the air as the lion dancers begin their performance. The entire Beishan street quickly becomes lively and festive. Big and small lions move with the rhythm of the drums, shaking their heads, wagging their tails, and jumping playfully. Sometimes the lions interact with the crowd, which makes the atmosphere even more exciting.
If you are lucky enough to be there, people will often encourage you to touch the lion’s head. In local tradition this is believed to bring good luck and positive energy for the year ahead.
Lion dancing is an important part of Lunar New Year celebrations in southern China. It represents driving away bad spirits and welcoming good fortune, and it expresses people’s hopes for a lively and prosperous new year. For many people in Guangdong, this is a very authentic and joyful way to celebrate the Spring Festival.
Because many dogs are sensitive to loud noises, fireworks and firecrackers may scare them. Firecrackers are often set off during lion dance performances here, so it’s important to pay attention to your dog’s safety and comfort.
Have an authentic raw marinated seafood meal
If you enjoy seafood, you should definitely try raw marinated seafood. After watching the lion dance at Beishan Courtyard, you can stop by one of the nearby restaurants for a rest. Fresh shrimp, crab, or shellfish are marinated with soy sauce, garlic, chili, and spices, creating a very fresh and flavorful taste.
Many people feel a little hesitant the first time they try it, but once they take a bite, they often fall in love with the natural sweetness of the seafood.
Paired with a small drink, the whole meal feels perfectly suited to a relaxed coastal city.
Visit Jintai Temple to pray for peace and good fortune in the new year
Jintai Temple is located in the mountains, surrounded by a very peaceful and quiet environment.
During the Spring Festival, many people come here to offer incense and prayers, hoping for a safe and smooth year ahead.
You can visit during the entire holiday period, but the most recommended days are the first day and the fifteenth day of the lunar month. These are considered especially meaningful days to pray at the temple.
When you walk into the temple, you can feel the strong atmosphere of incense and devotion. You can also bring your dog with you to the temple to pray together. Just remember to keep your dog on a leash so everyone stays safe, and you can also let them run and play in the open areas nearby.
Many people come here not only to pray for themselves, but also to make wishes and blessings for all living beings, hoping that every wish will come true.
Nestled between mountains and water, Jintai Temple sits against Huangyang Mountain and overlooks the Wangbao Reservoir, occupying a place with beautiful natural surroundings.
The entire temple carries a strong sense of traditional Tang-style architecture. With its yellow walls, dark tiled roofs, and elegant upturned eaves, the atmosphere feels ancient, graceful, and serene.
There is little commercialization here, and the temple remains quiet and solemn. The moment you step inside, it feels as if your mind becomes calm and purified.
Looking forward to meeting you here.
If one day you want to find a place to spend a Spring Festival that feels a little less rushed, Zhuhai would be a wonderful choice.
The sea breeze, flower markets, lion dances, temples, fresh seafood, resting on the beach in the evening, and watching the lights at the Zhuhai Opera House at night—these small moments come together to create a beautiful and very special Chinese New Year.
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