Hailed as a living fossil of China's traditional dance, the performance portrays legends and folk tales with its unique, exaggerated and vivid gestures.
To mark the beginning of spring and to hope for a prosperous year to come, residents once again turn to this ancient dance.
"I've never seen such an original form of dance before. It's amazing," a visitor in Wuyuan said.
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Guests wait to present plum blossom at the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, Feb. 6, 2014. It was the seventh day of Zhengyue (the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar), also the "Renri" which literally means the Human Day in Chinese. According to Chinese legend, the goddess Nyuwa created the world and animals during the first six days, after which human was created. It is a tradition for citizens in Chengdu to visit the Du Fu Thatched Cottage on the Human Day. Du Fu was a great romantic poet in ancient China's Tang Dynasty (618-907). [Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing] |
While in Chengdu, locals gather at the poet Dufu's Thatched Cottage, paying tribute to him and admiring plum blossom.
And if you like you can even have a plum blossom print on your forehead.
The bell tower here is also packed with people, hoping to literally ring in the new year, offering blessings for their loved ones.
"We came very early this morning to ring the bell to bless my family and friends," a resident in Chengdu said.
And in Rongshui County in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, ethnic Miao people dance at a traditional party called "Datongnian".
This unique custom is seen only during the lunar new year as a way to celebrate unity as all the dancers are believed to have become sworn brothers and sisters afterwards.
The dance is followed with a grand feast with all kinds of lunar new year food, including pork and glutinous rice.
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