If you're looking for a Spring Festival getaway that blends food, culture, and a slower pace of life, Rugao offers a rewarding mix of flavors and stories worth exploring.

Start the day with a Rugao breakfast. Local tables fill with freshly baked Rugao sesame flatbread, silky tofu pudding, noodles, and delicate crab roe buns. Each item has its own character, making breakfast feel like a small feast rather than a quick meal.

Eight Dishes of Longevity. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Rugao is known worldwide as a city of longevity, and its food culture reflects a balance of nourishment and tradition. A must-try is the famous "Eight Dishes of Longevity", a classic banquet set featuring slow-braised pork, crab roe fish balls, braised chicken, taro with pork, stir-fried dried tofu, cabbage with lean pork, braised silver carp, and black cabbage with vermicelli.

A Spring Festival visit is also a time for reflection. Shuihui Garden, praised by renowned architectural historian Chen Congzhou as a rare masterpiece of Huizhou-style garden art, offers poetic scenery shaped by water, pavilions, and stone bridges. Nearby, Dinghui Temple invites visitors to pray for peace and good fortune in the new year. Those who climb the seven-story Guanyin Pagoda are rewarded with a quiet, panoramic view of the city.

The seven-story Guanyin Pagoda in Rugao, Nantong. [Photo/WeChat account: njwgx6]

For something different, the China Film Exhibition Hall provides a journey through the country's cinematic development. Rugao is also home to the Henry C. Lee Museum of Forensic Sciences. Through exhibits on landmark cases and scientific methods, visitors can learn about his extraordinary career and contributions to criminal investigation.