Wuxi's celebrations for Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Festival, saw thousands flock to the city's Huishan Ancient Town to take part in the area's distinctive ceremony.

Observers of Qingming Festival wear traditional clothes to partake in the worshiping ceremony honoring ancestors at Huishan Ancient Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu province on April 4. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Yet those who couldn't make the festivities, or didn't want to brave the crowds, could watch the full proceedings from the comfort of their own home as the event was live streamed globally on China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 4.

CCTV chose Wuxi on account of it being a city that vividly represents the culture of China's south Yangtze River Delta region. Locals are well-known to continue time-old traditions such as visiting cemeteries or burial grounds to pray and pay their respects to ancestors.

An aerial view of the Huishan Ancient Town in Wuxi airs. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17-min Wuxi episode started with an aerial shot that illustrated the city's unique landscape, including its magnificent ancestral temple, the Grand Canal, as well as Xishan and Huishan mountains.