Performers beat drums at the opening ceremony of the sixth Beijing Duanwu Cultural Festival in Beijing’s Yanqing County on May 18, 2014. [Photo by Liao Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

The sixth Beijing Duanwu Cultural Festival, or Dragon Boat Cultural Festival, will kick off in Beijing’s northwest suburban county of Yanqing on May 31, the first day of the three-day public holiday – May 31 to June 2 this year.

The news was given at the opening ceremony of the county’s annual Summer Tourism Festival on May 18 at the summer resort of Xiadu Park in Yanqing.

The county will launch various activities such as a dragon boat race, a competition of wrapping rice dumplings, a graffiti exhibition, and a folk art performances during the three-month long festival.

Visitors will also enjoy the exotic flavor of a group of performances based on the traditional culture and customs of South Korea, including pantomime, a fan dance show, and a folk song concert, which is a highlight of this year’s festival.

The Duanwu Festival, which is celebrated across China in homage to Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet during the Warring State Period (475-221 BC), falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar celender, or June 2 this year.

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