Liupanshui Festivals and Events

Liupanshui is home to a large number of ethnic minorities, there are 44 ethnic minorities including Yi, Miao, Bouyei, Bai, Hui, Gelao and Shui. In the long course of history, ethnic minority people live in harmony with nature, create many featured festivals and activities. 

Festivals in Liupanshui 

Main Chinese traditional festivals include New Year's Day(January 1), Spring Festival(The first day of the first lunar month; February 5, 2019), Lantern Festival(The fifteenth day of the first lunar month), Tomb Sweeping Day(15 days after the Spring equinox; April 5, 2019), Dragon Boat Festival(The fifth day of the fifth lunar month; June 7, 2019) and Mid-Autumn Day(The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month; September 13, 2019).

Zhexi Nuo Opera of Yi(折溪傩戏)

Yi people in Zhexi township of Liuzhi Special District perform Nuo opera in the villages to worship the god and exorcise ghosts from the third day of the first lunar month to the third day of the third lunar lunar month. Nuo masks integrating god, ghost and people have vivid appearance and outstanding characters. Whenever the performance, the audience is enthusiastic, and the scene is lively and hilarious.

Cai Hua Dong of Miao(采花洞)

Every year on the 1st to 15th day of the first lunar month, thousands of Miao people in Huashiban village(滑石板村) and neighboring villages and counties will gather in front of a hole on the eastern side of the village, singing love songs, blowing Lusheng and straight flute. Many young men and women are concerned with love and romance in this way, looking for a mate. Therefore, it is called "Cai Hua Dong"

Tiaohua festival of Miao(跳花节)

Every year on the 15th day of the second lunar month, the most festive traditional festival of local Miao(Xiaohua Miao)--"jumping Flower Slope" is held at Xingzhai village of Nankai Miao and Yi Ethnic Township, Shuicheng county. At that time, thousands of Miao people gather together, dressed in fancy clothes, singing and dancing, celebrating their own festival. This is one of the largest ethnic festivals in Guizhou province.

Torch festival of Yi(火把节)

On June 24 of the lunar calendar, in Haiping village of Yushe town, Shuicheng County, the Yi people there will hold a grand torch festival of Yi. All activities are held by the bonfire and in the moonlight, so the festival is also known as "bathing the moon".

Activities in Liupanshui

Except for ethnic festivals, folk music, folk dance, folk opera and cultural heritages form the rich ethnic culture and activities in Liupanshui. 

Liupanshui folk dances are widely distributed and have various styles. From the role and purpose of dance, it is mostly life dance, which is a dance activity for the needs of life carried out by various ethnic groups. It usually includes custom dance, religious and sacrifice dance, social dance, entertainment dancing, sports dance and so on.

Among various ethnic groups in Liupanshui, instrumental folk music includes Lusheng, Suona, straight flute, three holes flute, four holes flute, Yueqin, Erhu, bronze drum, bass drum, flower drum, leather drum, cymbal, gong, bell, wooden fish and so on. All kinds of instrumental music have different combination music scores, and play on different occasions. Lusheng tune, Suona score and bronze drum score are relatively distinctive and wide-spread.