During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Fenghuang County of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture launched a variety of folk activities such as making zongzi, enjoying a long-table banquet, watching dragon boat races, and catching ducks, providing a rich cultural feast for local citizens and tourists.
More than 100 citizens participated in the zongzi making competition. Compacting, sealing, and tying ropes, they were skilled in making zongzi.
The long-table banquet allowed visitors to experience the unique culinary culture of Fenghuang. The table was full of Miao specialty food, such as duck with duck blood cakes, Miao sour and hot meat, and Miao pickled vegetables, demonstrating the unique charm of Miao diet culture. Tourists enjoyed the Xiangxi cuisine, and experienced the profound Miao cuisine culture, as well as the warmth of the Fenghuang people towards guests.
The dragon boat race is a way for people of all ethnic groups in Fenghuang Ancient Town to commemorate Qu Yuan and pray for good weather throughout the year. The town is a national famous historical and cultural city. The dragon boat race, as a traditional folk custom, has become a symbol of unity, friendship, struggle and progress of the Fenghuang people, allowing tourists to enjoy a unique folk cultural feast and experience the beauty of the ancient city.
On the site, the audience cheered for the performance of participants and took photos to feel the speed and passion of the dragon boat race, presenting the lively scene of dragon boat races in the novel “Border Town” written by Shen Congwen, one of the most influential modern Chinese writers.
A “battle” for ducks was staged on the Tuojiang River on the afternoon of June 10. All participants quickly swam to catch ducks that symbolize good luck, and the audience watching the activity cheered for their performance. The lively and spectacular scene attracted many tourists and citizens to take photos and share the joyful festive atmosphere. The activity presented a rich and colorful folk culture feast to domestic and foreign tourists and local residents.
During the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Fenghuang County received a total of 175,000 tourists and achieved a tourism revenue of 163 million yuan, an increase of 21.86% and 9.98% year on year respectively.
