The 2023 Guangzhou International Shopping Festival kicked off on Sept 26 at the Grandview Plaza, in the Tianhe district of Guangzhou - capital of South China's Guangdong province - and will run to Dec 31.

With Tianhe as its main venue, the shopping festival has 25 commercial carriers to launch 107 themed activities, including creative markets, art exhibitions, competitions and music parties.

It will showcase Guangzhou's digital commerce and trade, fashion consumption, as well as the close integration of culture, commerce, tourism and sports.

A hip hop performance takes place during the opening ceremony of this year's Guangzhou International Shopping Festival at the Grandview Plaza. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

To top it off, shopping coupons worth 100 million yuan ($13.84 million) are being distributed for the shopping festival through online apps like Alipay, Apple Pay and Suihaoban, as well as the Guangzhou bureau of commerce's official WeChat account (ID: gzssww).

New stores in the Tianhe Road Business Circle that allow overseas tourists to process departure tax refunds were launched at the shopping festival's opening ceremony.

Nearly 60 percent of Guangzhou's departure tax refund-allowed stores are located in Tianhe, helping out with the spending of overseas tourists.

A costume play takes place during the opening ceremony of the Guangzhou International Shopping Festival. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

The Grandview Plaza creates a music-themed festival for young people, with music, coffee and snacks on offer. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]