Joy in the streets: Spring Festival celebrations take place in Qingtian county, Lishui. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Qingtian county – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – is known for its large overseas Chinese population.

So, with the adjustment of China's epidemic prevention and control policy, more than 38,000 overseas Chinese returned to their hometown  for the Spring Festival this year – giving a hefty boost to the local culture and tourism market, local media reported recently.

Various fun activities took place in Qingtian during the holiday. One man, who lives in Spain, took his family back to Qingtian this year. He said they were thrilled to watch a circus and acrobatic show there, which was wonderful. "We felt a strong festive vibe in Qingtian," he said.

In addition, during the Spring Festival Qingtian issued a total of 2 million yuan ($296,418) in culture and tourism vouchers, including 780,000 yuan's worth of scenic spot ticket vouchers and 360,000 yuan's worth of shopping vouchers.

Data showed that the county received 388,000 tourists during the break, generating tourism income of 62.08 million yuan, an increase of 317 percent and 345 percent respectively compared with 2022.