On Aug 13, the launching ceremony of the National-level Bronze Drum (Hechi) Cultural Ecology Protection Zone and the 2023 Baiku Yao's New Year Folk Tourism Event took place in the Yaowang Tianxia Scenic Area of Nandan County.

The event features cycling races, spinning top contests, a Baiku Yao grand banquet, dragon and lion dances, a 1,000 bronze drums performance, as well as a singing competition for traditional Yao songs.

It has attracted people of the Baiku Yao ethnic group from Nandan county, Bama Yao autonomous county, Donglan county, Dahua Yao autonomous county in Guangxi, and Libo county in Guizhou province.

In 2023, the Bronze Drum Cultural (Hechi) Protection Experimental Zone passed evaluations and acceptance, becoming the first national-level cultural and ecological protection zone in Guangxi.

Nandan county, as one of the core areas of the protection zone, has a long Yao history and rich cultural resources. As of December 2022, the county registered 1,478 bronze drums.

The Yao New Year celebration is a significant traditional festival for the Baiku Yao people in Nandan. Every year at around the 30th day of the sixth lunar month, Baiku Yao people hold grand sacrificial activities to mark the end of a year of hard work. This celebration is also held in anticipation of the bountiful harvest, as well as to pray for favorable weather in the coming year.

People of the Baiku Yao ethnic group dance at the opening ceremony of the Yao New Year celebrations on Aug 13 in Nandan county. [Photo/Hechi Daily]