The Fenlong Festival in Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county in 2024 spanned from June 20 to 30, serving as a venue for the exhibition of Maonan cultural heritage, featuring a diverse spectrum of participatory engagements.

Visitors immersed themselves in the cultural profundity of the Maonan community, partaking in activities such as land dragon boat races, traditional ethnic dances, and an animated fish-catching competition, demonstrating the fervent ethos of the local mountainous ethnicities.

In recent years, Huanjiang has capitalized on its extensive tourism resources and profound cultural legacy, employing major festivals and events as catalysts for the expansion and upgrade of the tourism industry. By orchestrating ethnically rooted cultural galas and athletic spectacles during key celebratory periods, the region has stimulated the comprehensive advancement of tourism across diverse spheres, including recreational and wellness-oriented domains.

Through its recurrent staging of venerable traditions such as dragon boat races, the Sanyuesan Festival, and the Fenlong Festival, Huanjiang has spearheaded a novel trajectory for rural vitalization founded upon ecological principles.

The land dragon boat races. [Photo by Li Hui/Hechi Daily]

The fish-catching competition. [Photo by Li Hui/Hechi Daily]

Folk dance with masks. [Photo by Li Hui/Hechi Daily]