An aerial view of the Qiantang River tide at the Yanguan Scenic Area in Haining, a county-level city of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

About 120,000 visitors gathered at Haining's Yanguan Scenic Area to witness the "world's first tide" on the Qiantang River on the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, the best day to view the tide.

This natural phenomenon, along with the Amazon and Ganges tides, is considered one of the world's three major tidal spectacles.

By 11:30 am, the riverbank was already packed with eager spectators. At 1:00 pm, a white line appeared on the horizon, and the tide, resembling thousands of white horses, surged forward majestically. The crowd erupted in awe, capturing the moment with cameras and selfie sticks.

"It's just like in the textbooks, truly spectacular!" exclaimed Zhang Jiatong, a young visitor from Jinan, Shandong province. Minutes later, the tide receded, but the river continued to roar. Zhang Ximing from Hangzhou remained captivated, recalling vivid descriptions from his childhood textbooks.

"Heart surging with the tide!" exclaimed Lai Guoming from Hubei province, who was there in celebration of his 70th birthday. The Qiantang River tide has inspired countless poets over the centuries. On this day, over 20 poets from around the world gathered to compose poems, drawing inspiration from the magnificent scene.

Egyptian poet Mu Chenggong was left in awe, describing the tide as "amazing" and "spectacular", and looking forward to further exploring Haining's poetic charm.