Banban Dragon Lantern Art Festival Kicks off in Cili

The 3rd Cili Banban Dragon Lantern Art Festival, a part of the 3rd Zhangjiajie Tourism Development Conference, opened at Renmin Square in Cili County on February 9. Tourists and local people gathered joyfully, appreciating the unique beauty of Banban dragon lanterns and celebrate the upcoming Lantern Festival.

At dusk, the Banban dragon lantern team used 168 light panels and 840 lanterns to light up four Chinese characters that convey the message "May our country enjoy prosperity and our people live in harmony". This is the unique way for the Cili people to extend their best wishes for the motherland and the people.

Intangible cultural heritage performances started at 18:30. A variety of performances were staged, such as Tai Mao Bodhisattvas, a traditional cultural activity in the form of lifting statues of heroes, lion dance, dragon dance, Cili Han opera, Dawo Haozi, Jiuzi whip dance, Tai Chi, and Jingang Longevity Gong. As the intangible cultural heritage performances took the stage, waves of enthusiastic cheers rippled through the audience.

At 19:30, along with drumrolls by 220 drummers, the Banban Dragon Lantern show began. A long queue of Banban Dragon Lanterns moved in circles, creating various formations such as the Tai Chi diagram.

The Banban Dragon Lantern team paraded for more than 4,300 meters in two hours, passing through two neighborhoods where people applauded and cheered along the streets.

As an artistic treasure of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Banban Dragon Lantern has been listed by the State Council as one of the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage items.

As a warm-up of the 3rd Zhangjiajie Tourism Development Conference, this Banban Dragon Lantern Art Festival was set to be held between February 5 and 12. It features eight thematic activities, including Banban Dragon Lantern performances, folk art showcases, folk art parades, lantern riddle guessing, art performances, Spring Festival fair, interactive tour, and intangible cultural heritage experience, to create a festive cultural tourism event showcasing Cili's unique characteristics. The festival aimed to promote intangible cultural heritage inheritance and protection, showcase Cili's cultural tourism resources, and boost the cultural and tourism economy. 

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

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Hunan Daily