Yangshuo is a place where the Han,the Zhuang and the Yao people live in compact communities.With a history of Thousands of years,they have formed folk customs and folk cultures with colorful national or local features,which have developed the excellent culture and moral concepts of the Chinese nation.Yangshuo Li River fishing-lighted festival: Fishing with cormorants is a traditional mode of production of the Li River fishermen. When night falls, the fishermen will take rafts, light firebrands and bring some cormorants with them, shouting here and there on the Li River in throngs. After encircling groups of fish, they let cormorants dive into the water and bring out fish in their mouths. Then, an attractive picture of night hunting has been formed with the shuttling back and forth of the fishing boats and the peals of fishing songs. The “Li River fishing-lighted festival” was regarded as one of the “eight Yangshuo scenes” in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In recent years, it has become a competitive item of folk custom tourism. And since 1999, the “Yangshuo Li River fishing-lighted festival” held every October has integrated fishing lights, fireworks and bonfires, and included singing competition of Sister Liu and other recreational performances. It has received favorable recognition throughout the world.
Sining fairs of the Zhuang on the hills
Under the bright moon of the Mid-autumn Festival,young people of the Zhuang gather in threes and fours,singing folk songs, and expressing themseles with their songs. Some of them may have in ming to know each other. which is regarded as the beginning of their "love affairs".Nowadays. young people of Gaotian town, where the Zhuang live in compact communities, hold their singing fairs on Moon Hill. On the night of the MID-AUTUMN fESTIVAL, THE SINGING HERE LASTS FOR THE WHOLE night, and the moon in the sky and that in the hill (there is a moon-shape hole in the Moon Hill) mutually reflcct. This attracts a large number of guests (either home or abroad)and the people of Guilin City , which makes the "Mid-autumn Festival" another beautiful sight of Yangshuo.
Singing halls of the yao
Originally it was the singing fair held by the Longwei Yao of Yangshuo to commemorate their ancestors or to celebrate abundant years. It is the hall of a house, thus it is called a singing hall. Later on , this kind of singing gradually became the singing competitions beld in singing halls for happy events such as weddings or fir when congratulations on new houses take place.
It has become a primary traditional item of cultural reereation of the Yao.With outlanders participating the atmosphere of the singing fair beeomes more ardent, and the content is not limited to the songs of only the Yao.
"Dog"-dances
In addition to performing dragon-dances or lion-dances, the Yangshuo people dance with a kind of unicon in the Spring Festival or other festivals and happy events. The head of this unicorn is bigger than a lion's, with a single horn. It is called "bid-headed dog", is a big and has evolved from the legend about "qilin". The "big-heded dog". is a big and powerful one which can foil the ambience.
Shigong-dances
Shig-dance is a performing way of "exorcising dance," which is an important part in the activites used to pray for blessing and exorcise balefulness. As a traditional folk recreational performance, it has become a main item of folk custom touring。
Lantern-dances
Lantern-dance is a traditonal reereational actity with a long history and is held at important happy events. The dance is made up of 21 lights that are transparent reetangle and domino-shaped lanterns supported by a wooden stick. The four sides of the lanterns are foiled with vivid patterns having a Chinese character on each side. These characters can be casually combined while performing to form some auspicious sentences that are improved steadily. It is a goood way to implement instruction in reereation.
Fair duration of the "May 8th " welfare
It is a traditional weeklong fair held on the 8th day of the 5th lunar to commemorate A Ma and Uncle Pinkao. Since the 1980s , the local people have introduced new content to this traditional fair. It has become the "cultural tourist festival" which encourages moral education of "filial piety" and "loyalty". It brings forth local products and promotes the development of tourism, which has attracted a great number of guests from both home and abroad. In addition, the "new-try festival" held on the 19th day of the 9th lunar month in Baisha Town and the fair held on the 23th day of the 6th lunar month in xingping Town have become items of folk custom for tourism.
Folk customs of Yangshuo:http://www.yangshuoonline.com/post/Folk-customs-Yangshuo.html
