Sanya Nanshan Longevity and Blessing Culture Festival opens

The 28th Sanya Nanshan Longevity and Blessing Culture Festival opened on Oct 18 at the Nanshan International Intangible Cultural Heritage Center in Sanya city, South China's Hainan province, presenting a new interpretation of traditional Chinese blessings and longevity culture.

Themed "Dwell in Nanshan, Blessed with Peace", this year's festival expands the meaning of longevity beyond lifespan to encompass quality of life and well-being. The event is hosted by the Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone.

At the opening ceremony, Liu Bingrui, chairman of Hainan Nanshan Cultural Tourism Company, said the company would integrate traditional Chinese culture with the area's coastal and mountain landscapes while exploring new approaches to high-quality cultural tourism development.

Liu Geng, a cultural scholar, said the traditional blessing "May your good fortune be as vast as the East China Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Nanshan Mountain" has long been associated with Nanshan and Sanya. As life expectancy rises, he said, the focus is shifting from elderly care to a better quality of life in later years, creating opportunities for deeper integration of culture and tourism.

The opening ceremony featured classical and ethnic dances, solo performances, and a poetry recitation. Actors Wang Fuli and Xu Wenguang were appointed cultural ambassadors for the festival.

A cultural dialogue titled "Nanshan Forum on Blessings and Longevity" was also held, with discussions focusing on the meaning of blessings and longevity, their relevance to contemporary life, and ways to make traditional Chinese life philosophy more accessible through cultural tourism.

During the ceremony, the Hainan Healthcare and Wellness Expo was officially launched. Nanshan Cultural Tourism Company and the Hainan Association for Healthcare and Wellness agreed to pursue long-term cooperation in integrating tourism with medical and wellness services. A separate agreement was signed to establish a traditional Li medicine and intangible cultural heritage center in Baisha Li autonomous county of Hainan.

Respect for older people remains a key tradition of the festival. On Oct 18, visitors aged 60 and above from across China were offered free admission to Nanshan Scenic Area upon presentation of their identity cards. According to the scenic area's statistics, about 6,300 elderly visitors entered free of charge that day.

The festival has been held on 28 occasions, evolving to give traditional longevity culture a broader contemporary meaning.