Tradition Meets Sport: Miao Culture Festival and Aquatic Sports Competition Kicks Off May 15

Chongqing - On April 30, 2024, a press conference announced the forthcoming 13th China Wujiang River Miao Culture Festival and the China Pengshui Aquatic Sports Competition. Slated to commence on May 15 at the Chiyou Jiuli City, a paramount traditional architectural complex of the Miao people, this event will feature an impressive array of 19 activities. These will include exhibitions showcasing cultural and ecological protection achievements, Tujia and Miao ethnic performances, the Chiyou sacrifice ceremony, and a series of folk song concerts and dance festivals.

Pengshui is home to the distinctive Caihuashan dance, blending entertainment and fitness into a cultural spectacle. Annually, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the Miao community dons traditional attire to celebrate the Caihuashan Festival. Festivities include antiphonal singing, dancing, lion dances, crossbow shooting, shuttlecock kicking, and pole climbing competitions. The Caihuashan Festival is a profound celebration and a ritual honoring their ancestor Chiyou, seeking blessings of happiness and prosperity. These events showcase Pengshui's rich Miao cultural heritage and the region's natural and cultural allure.

The opening ceremony on May 15 will feature an exhibition of cultural-ecological protection outcomes and a comprehensive presentation of Miao culture, incorporating traditional aspects such as Miao cuisine, crafts, and medicinal practices. The day will also spotlight cultural performances from the protected area and the Chiyou worship ceremony, highlighting the cultural accomplishments of the Tujia and Miao communities.

Moreover, this year's Aquatic Sports Competition will unfold over four days, from May 15 to 18, in the waters of Pengshui County on the Wujiang River. The lineup includes the China Motorboat League Chongqing Pengshui Grand Prix and various paddleboarding events.

From May to September, Pengshui will orchestrate a series of folk song concerts and dance festivals, drawing artists nationwide to enhance the festival's cultural depth.

Pengshui is proactively enhancing its comprehensive tourism development. Transitioning from traditional sightseeing to a focus on ecological and leisure vacation tourism while integrating cultural, agricultural, business, and urban tourism to foster high-quality tourism development, Pengshui aims to diversify its tourism offerings and elevate visitor experiences. By bolstering project construction, refining tax incentive policies, welcoming major cultural and tourism enterprises, and amplifying the protection and utilization of cultural elements, Pengshui aims to diversify its tourism offerings and elevate visitor experiences.

Additionally, Pengshui will leverage the Aquatic Sports Competition to extend its cultural and tourism reach within the Chengdu-Chongqing region, continually introducing specialty tourism routes with unique regional features. During the May Day holiday, Pengshui unveils eight premium tourism routes, encompassing scenic and health and wellness tours, folk customs tours, and more, leveraging its extensive range of A-level tourist attractions.

This year, Pengshui’s varied tourism activities and enhanced services are set to continue drawing wide attention from both domestic and international tourists, providing an experience that melds traditional culture with contemporary vibrancy.