Huizhou celebrates Lantern Festival with Chinese dragons

As Lantern Festival, which marks the finale of the Chinese New Year festivities, approaches on February 24, Huizhou City in Guangdong Province is set to be the national main venue and host the event of the "Dancing with Chinese Dragons" dragon dance parade on February 23 and 24.

According to a media briefing on February 19, the event will feature two main highlights: a grand dragon dance parade and an intangible cultural heritage showcase. Both events will be simulcast online.

The parade, scheduled for the morning of February 24, will feature five grand formations, bringing together 18 nationally representative intangible cultural heritage dragon dance projects from 12 provinces across China, as well as two lion dance teams from Hong Kong and Macao, and 31 intangible cultural heritage projects from within Guangdong Province.

Each dragon dance team will consist of anywhere from 10 to 50, or even hundreds, of inheritors, along with numerous folk craftsmen skilled in dragon crafting and dance instruction, all coming together to spread joy and happiness for the Year of the Dragon.

Covering a total distance of 3.6 kilometers, the parade will involve over 1200 participants, including 71 representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. Starting from the Huizhou Sports Center, the parade route will cross the Dongjiang River, pass through Chaojing Gate and Pinghu Gate, and culminate at Yuantong Bridge, showcasing Huizhou's distinctive historical and cultural landscapes.

Along the route, designated performance areas at Chaojing Gate and Pinghu Gate will allow each parade team ample space to showcase their intangible cultural heritage.

In addition, the intangible cultural heritage showcase will take place on the evening of February 23 from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM at the square of Huizhou Sports Center.

This diverse showcase will feature performances of various intangible cultural heritage projects from both within and outside Guangdong Province, including Puning Yingge Dance, Huidong Fisherman's Song, Tongliang Dragon Dance, Changxing Baiye Dragon, Quzhou Dragon Lantern, and Banban Dragon Lantern, in a bid to treat audiences to a vibrant and varied cultural feast.

The "Dancing Dragon and Whistling Flowers" performance held among the Miao ethnic group.