Fireworks burst over the Gan River on festival nights, and the towers on both banks flash in time with the music. Across the water, Tengwang Pavilion glows red and green while crowds at Qiushui Square cheer the leaping fountain jets. The light show runs most evenings, so many nights feel like a small holiday.
By day the city turns to smaller pleasures. Mornings start with clay pot soup and rice noodles, and the lanes around Wanshou Palace mix old guildhall ruins with bubble tea shops. Summers are long and steamy, winters short and cool. A Local Friend can open the door to a breakfast counter or a back lane you would never have tried alone.
