Visitors from near and afar gathered in this Miao town to join this ethnic cultural event featuring folk performances, intangible cultural heritage inheritance and practice, agricultural product displays and sales, and folk sports.

Miao girls offer lanmen wine (a traditional welcoming toast) in front of the archway in Pingba Town, Guzhang County. (Photo/Zhang Qiming)
 

"Qi Yue Ba," the eighth day of the seventh Chinese lunar month, is the traditional Valentine's Day for Miao people in Pingba Town. Early on the morning of August 19, the area in front of the archway in Pingba Town was already bustling. Long horns and Miao drums, as well as dragon and lion dances took the stage in turn, and Miao girls in traditional costumes offered lanmen wine to welcome guests from near and afar.
 
At the opening ceremony, a solemn and traditional Miao sacrificial blessing ceremony was held, expressing Miao people's good wishes for favorable weather and peace and prosperity for the country and its people. The Tiaoxiang dance performers moved with flowing sleeves, stepping slowly to drumbeats; Miao boxing was full of strength, with every move reflecting the valor of Miao youth; authentic Miao folk songs were sweet and melodious, telling the tales of Miao village life. A much-anticipated sour fish jar-opening ceremony pushed the atmosphere to a climax. As the pottery jars were unsealed, tangy aroma spread through the air, giving the audience a close-up experience of the unique charm of Miao traditional food.

Traditional skills such as Miao embroidery, patterned ribbon weaving, and handwoven cloth appeared in the intangible cultural heritage market area. (Photo by Zhang Qiming)

The intangible cultural heritage market area was even more crowded, with many traditional crafts such as Miao embroidery, patterned ribbon weaving, and handwoven cloth on display. Representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage sat at their stalls, with silk threads flying in their hands, giving live demonstrations of their skills while teaching the visitors hand in hand. Tourists gathered around the stalls, carefully watching the craft process and trying their hand at making items themselves. "This event let me feel the charm of Miao culture up close, and I also personally experienced the entire hands-on process of making intangible cultural heritage items such as Miao embroidery. It was very meaningful," said Yang Juan, a tourist from Jishou.

Pingba Town integrated its rural specialty industries into the folk festival. At the market stalls, a variety of local agricultural products were displayed, such as Guyang River tea, Apushan wild camellia oil, Miao-style sour fish, and "Wopiao Red" chili sauce. Visitors could make one-stop purchases of their favorite Miao local products, or visit the Guyang River Tea production base to observe the entire process of standardized tea production.

Scene of a rural basketball match. (Photo/Deng Jiyan)

While the folk feast was in full swing, a rural basketball match got underway. On the court, players ran, stole, passed, and shot the ball, drawing waves of cheers and applause. Off the court, Miao songs rang out and Miao dancers swayed gracefully, as folk performances keep going.

"Watching the exciting match while enjoying Miao songs and dances—it is really a novel combination." Wu Baolin from Fenghuang County made a special trip to watch the basketball match, cheering for the players competing on the court. A basketball game brought together people of all ethnic groups from surrounding cities, counties, and townships. Everyone cheered for the players, enjoyed folk performances, and chat at ease, creating a vibrant vibe of rural life in Miao communities.

This folk festival would not have been held successfully without the continuous upgrading of local infrastructure. Quality and efficiency improvements in the development of this small town and the opening of the Moping Highway have made the transportation network across Pingba Town fully connected. The transportation network facilitates village-level connectivity while creating vital links for agricultural produce distribution and cultural tourism promotion. Meanwhile, continued enhancements in public services and living conditions have further strengthened the physical infrastructure foundation for hosting large-scale cultural events.

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

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Chinanews