Activities bring Dragon Boat Festival culture to life

By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio

The 2024 Dragon Boat Festival Market and Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition kicked off today at Yiling Square.

The events, scheduled to begin on China’s Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on June 8, offered tourists a unique opportunity to experience a diverse array of Chinese culture. 

At the event, the city announced five travel routes, all centered around a different unique aspect of Yichang’s cultural history; the Yangtze River route, the Ten Thousand Mile Tea route, the Ba-Chu cultural route, the Three Kingdom era history route, and the Revolution route.

Cultural performances were staged at the opening ceremony, such as Dragon Boat Festival Customs and Changyang Nanqu, which brought a sense of ritual to the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.

The events will remain open until June 10 and feature nearly 100 different intangible cultural heritage products, such as local traditional food, traditional crafts and traditional fine arts. The exhibition is divided into seven areas, including cultural products, food and drinks, a clothing experience area and cultural tourism promotion.

The flow of market and exhibitions is designed as a tour, inviting visitors to experience the unique charm of traditional customs in an immersive way.

In the tourism promotion area, attractions from 14 counties have launched a variety of promotional activities. 

On the evening of June 9, there will be a concert featuring a fusion of Chinese folk music and rock. The following evening, another show will combine Hanfu, Cheongsam and Tujia costumes with Chinese folk music such as string music, wind music, pipa and guzheng. Tourists will have a chance to better appreciate the elegant charm of Chinese style.

At the same time, culture and tourism departments and tourism enterprises from 13 counties will hold two tourism promotion events. 

Yichang's major tourist attractions and shopping districts will launch several activities during this week to attract tourists, including making zongzi, rowing dragon boats and making scented sachets.

There will also be a series of cultural performances in the Hometown of Qu Yuan Tourist Area, the Tribe of the Three Gorges Scenic Area, Chexi Folk Custom Tour Site and other scenic spots, offering tourists plenty of ways to stay busy during the holiday!