Plate-shoes Dance, Zhuang Nationality
Zhuang Nationality is original inhabitants in Guangxi. Plate-shoes dance is a popular art form in Zhuang Nationality regions. The shoes can be divided into three types: plate-shoes for 2, 3 and more persons. It reflects the teamwork spirit of unification to win victories.
Longsheng Red Clothes Festival
Longsheng County is an autonomous county with multi-nationalities. Red Yao is a branch of Yao Nationality in Longsheng. Women of Red Yao are in favor of red clothes, hence the name. Red Clothes Festival, also known as Zhaina, will be held on March 15 in the lunar calender every year for Sishui Town.
On occasions of festivals, Red Yao people gather in Sishui Street to exchange agricultural means of productions and products, buy daily necessities, or visit their friends and relatives. The young people will take the chance to find their lovers.
Red Yao people are good at singing and dancing. Folk sports such as bamboo pole balancing, tug-of-wars, and rooster fighting, are really interesting. Women of Red Yao have long and nice hairs. They love to match beauties. A beauty in Red Yao criteria must be pretty, knowledgeable, logical in words, singing well and having good moral standard. Zhainais rich in content and programs include singing in antiphonal style, long drum dance, sports contest, hair competition, and Miss Village contest.
With the development of tourist industry, Red Clothes Festival now has become the festival for all nationalities every year. It will be held on March 15 in lunar month, or April 8, at Zhaina (Sishui Village), or at the foot of Longji Mountain.
Gongcheng Tanxi
Tanxi, also known as Ghost Opera, is developed on Tan dance. Tanxi is different from ordinary operas. It has no roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou, and also has no specialized and standardized playing procedures. Normally, Tanxi is played by 1 to 3 persons in colorful clothes and masks. The performance is influenced by Cai Tune and it absorbs the tunes of Cai Tune. Tanxi has no special troupes and mainly performs on occasions of praying and offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors.
Lusheng Dance
Lusheng is a reed-pipe wind instrument. Lusheng Dance is a traditional recreation on festivals of Miao Nationalities. Young men form a group of Lusheng and play the instrument together. The sound can be heard very far. Girls are dressed in their holiday best, wearing dragon and phoenix silver caps, silver hair clasp, and silver comb. Girls dance with the rhythm of Lusheng. Young people fall in love with each other through the dance. Boys who are good at playing Lusheng will be popular among girls.
Bull Fighting
Minority nationalities in the northern part of Guilin have many festivals and folk customs, such as bull fighting, horse racing, and Lusheng dance, etc.
Lusheng Dance, Miao Nationality
Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, is popular in minority nationalities regions in Southern part of China. A famous saying in Miao Nationality goes like this: one can not resist tempt to dance when he hears the sound of Lusheng. When guests come, boys play Lusheng and girls dance to welcome guests with Lusheng dance.
Ziyuan River Lantern and Song Festival
Held from July 13 to 14 of the Chinese Lunar Calender, River Lantern and Song Festival is the traditional festival of Ziyuan County which is 107km away from Guilin city.
During the festival, grand gatherings will be held by Han, Yao, Miao and other nationalities. Lion dance groups, dragon dance groups, river lantern groups and arts troupes from all villages will get together and give a splendid folk art show. When night falls, people will place the river lantern to the river to memorize their ancestors and pray for the good fortune for their offsprings. The river lanterns make the river fabulous at night. After the river lantern show, the art performances and cross-singing contest will last all night. The market will be crowded with people on the following day. All these events make the small town noisy and flourishing.
Da Youcha
Youcha, a kind of gruel of sweetened and fried flour, is the eating habit of Dong Nationality as well as other nationalities in northern part of Guilin. Youcha is made of tea, corn or rice, which are fried and boiled with Ciba, beans, and peanuts. Youcha is eaten with the ingredient of shreds of ginger, chopped green garlic, pepper powder, and cordate houttuynia. Meat Youcha is made with shrimps, small fishes, sausages, pork liver, and lean meat. When drinking Youcha, host and guests sit around the stove, and hostess makes and serves the Youcha. On September 15 in lunar calendar, young people of Dong Nationality drink 15 cups of Youcha, and they drink and sing at the same time.
Long Drum Dance, Yao Nationality
Long Drum Dance is a traditional art form of Yao Nationality. About 2 chi 5 cun ('chi' and 'cun' and ancient Chinese length measurements), Long Drum is made of Yanzhi wood. The drum is thin in the middle with the decorations of flowers, birds, dragons and phoenix patterns on it. Some long drum has bells on both ends and in the middle. When people play the drum, the bells sound harmoniously with the drum sound. It is said that ZaPanKuai was hit to cliff by brutal antelopes. People then began using skin of antelopes to make drum and beat it when dancing to show the hatred to antelopes and the memorization to their ancestors.
Plate-shoes Dance, Zhuang Nationality
Zhuang Nationality is original inhabitants in Guangxi. Plate-shoes dance is a popular art form in Zhuang Nationality regions. The shoes can be divided into three types: plate-shoes for 2, 3 and more persons. It reflects the teamwork spirit of unification to win victories.