Wenshan Festivals and Events

Wenshan is a multi-cultural prefecture with many ethnic minority groups, including the Zhuang, the Miao, the Yi, the Buyi, the Hui, the Yao, and the Bai. They live together harmoniously and retain their cultural legacy and life practices. Varied eating habits, ceremonies, costumes, folk legends and festivals such as the Sanyuesan Festival of the Zhuang people, the Caihuashan Festival of the Miao people, the Panwang Festival of Yao people, and the Torch Festival of the Bai people, make Wenshan a colorful prefecture.The Zhuang people account for approximately one third of the prefecture's total population, while the Miao and the Yi account for 12% and 10% of the total, respectively.

Four Seasons of Festivals

The Zhuang and Miao ethnic groups are famous for their folk songs, the Yi for their dances, and the Yao for their epic poems. Zhuang brocade and Miao batik are fashionable in the cities, and the batik workshops that pass on these ancient techniques draw the attention of fine arts students.

Wenshan celebrates festivals every month, like the Zhuang Double Third Festival, Miao Huashan Festival, and Yi Torch Festival, giving the prefecture an exotic ambience. They bring the opportunity to sample Wenshan's colorful and delectable cuisine -- chicken stewed with pseudo-ginseng, rice-flour noodles, Zhuang five-colored rice, and red bean stewed with cured meat.

There are also ethnic sports to be seen, like bull fighting, archery, upside-down pole climbing, folk martial arts, and wrestling. Wenshan has also produced a number of influential scholars. They include great writer Fang Youshi of the late Qing Dynasty, poet Ke Zhongping, and Chu Tunan, writer, translator and former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.