The opening ceremony of the 2022 Liuzhou International Water Carnival. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

The annual 2022 Liuzhou International Water Carnival started on Sept 30 in Liuzhou city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, offering a high-quality cultural tourism experience for local residents and visitors.

This year's event will feature 12 themed activities, including the 10th food festival featuring Liuzhou river snail rice noodles, the eighth ethnic customs forest music festival, vlog competitions and a Liuzhou water leisure sports meeting. The carnival will last until Oct 5 and some of the activities will end on Oct 7.

An eye-catching aquashow. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

Advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR) have been applied, allowing visitors to scan the quick response code to interact with Huanhuan and Lele, two virtual-world mascots of the Liuzhou International Water Carnival.

The carnival, first established in 2011, has now become a grand festive and cultural tourism feast for Liuzhou residents seeking leisure and entertainment after 11 years' innovation and development.