Hunan, Guizhou Dong People Jointly Celebrate New Year with Gongs and Drums

On February 20, a Hunan-Guizhou New Year Gongs Gala was held at the Drum Tower Square of Bajiangkou Village, Liangsan Town, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, Hunan's Huaihua City. Over 1,000 people from three counties-Sansui, Yuping, and Xinhuang-on the border between the two provinces participated.  

A Newy Year Gongs Competition was held. Nine teams from Hunan and Guizhou competed at the event, staging fantastic dance, gong, and drum performances. The performances aroused enthusiasm of the audiences and won lasting applause. Beyond that, Dong folk song and dance shows and a harmonious countryside-themed knowledge contest were organized. 

The New Year Gongs event is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage item of Hunan, and also a popular folk activity with distinctive ethnic characteristics in Liangsan Town and surrounding areas. For the Dong people, the New Year Gongs event symbolizes auspicious omens for the year ahead: bumper harvest with timely wind and rain, peace and prosperity of the nation, and harmony and happiness of the people. The loud and vigorous gong and drum performances showcased the local people's high-spirited morale.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday