The bell-shaped mouth of the Qiantang River that runs through the province helps form the world-renowned tide, which has a crest as high as 3.5 meters.

Haining City started to stage the International Qiantang Tide Watching Festival in 1992.

The five-day tide-watching festival last year attracted more than one million tourists.

Tourists to the city can also visit well-preserved ancient buildings and experience folk culture and art galleries of many renowned Chinese artists in the province which has a long history as a home for Chinese water-color painting and silk making.

(cnzj.org.cn 09/23/2002)