Source：CHINADAILY.COM.CN 2026-09-28
The fourth Beijing International Canal Arts Festival takes place during the Mid-Autumn holiday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Grand Canal became a meeting point for cultures, food and performing arts as the fourth Beijing International Canal Arts Festival took place during the Mid-Autumn holiday.
The festival ran from Sept 24 to 27 at the Tongzhou Canal Cultural Square.
The fourth Beijing International Canal Arts Festival takes place during the Mid-Autumn holiday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
More than 60 stalls offered foods and cultural products from around the world. Visitors sampled Beijing favorites from time-honored brands such as Donglaishun and Quanjude, alongside French waffles paired with wine and Turkish kebabs.
The market also featured handicrafts and cultural products from different parts of Beijing, as well as cities and provinces along the canal, and international goods.
The fourth Beijing International Canal Arts Festival takes place during the Mid-Autumn holiday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Traditional culture met new technology through activities such as AI-powered creative customization and interactive traditional Chinese medicine experiences. Intangible cultural heritage performances, including the lion dance and Jingxi Taiping Drum, also made appearances around the market.
The arts festival brought together artists from 13 countries along the world's canals, with 14 performing groups and about 70 Chinese and international artists presenting 22 performances.
The fourth Beijing International Canal Arts Festival takes place during the Mid-Autumn holiday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
By combining music and dance with food, crafts and interactive experiences, the festival aimed to showcase the Grand Canal not only as a historic waterway, but as a contemporary platform for cultural exchange.
For visitors who celebrated the Mid-Autumn holiday, the canal offered a distinctly international twist in a traditional Chinese festival — with old Beijing flavors, global cultures and contemporary creativity meeting along the waterfront.
