With bright blues, dazzling yellows and splashes of deep red and green, these bulls get a complete makeover from their usual dull brown or white skin.

In Yunnan province, a bull-painting festival has attracted large crowds of locals and tourists.

The festival gets its inspiration from the Hani people, an ethnic group known to paint bulls as a way to protect their village. Members of the Hani believe that the painted bulls will scare away dangerous animals from wandering into their houses, and this tradition gives people a good channel to show off their artistic talents.

The bulls get a complete makeover. Their regular brown or white fur is covered by bright blues, dazzling yellows and splashes of deep red and green. Elaborate scenes of the countryside and various patterns are painted on the bulls' bodies and even on their horns.

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