3. Qingdao Sugarcoated Haws Festival

This year's Qingdao Sugarcoated Haws Festival, lasting for eight days, will be divided into four parts and will hold 45 activities, featuring traditional folk arts such as clay figurines and sugar-figure blowing. As a comprehensive cultural event, it combines local cuisine and snacks, folk performances, sports, trade and commerce, and tourism.

Activities in the first five days will mainly take place at the branch venues set around the city with a temple fair in the following three days in the main venue, Haiyun Nunnery, which was built 500 years ago during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

As the biggest traditional folk activity in Qingdao, the festival boasts a history of more than 700 years. It was included in the list of Qingdao's intangible cultural heritages in 2007, and was given the title of "China's most influential folk festival" by the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Society in 2008.

Date: Feb 13-20

Ticket price: free

A child tastes a snack at the 2018 Qingdao Sugarcoated Haws Festival held from Feb 24 to Mar 3, 2018. [Photo/iqilu.com]