Source: CCTV.com
02-13-2008 10:03
Special Report: 2008 Spring FestivalSpectacles like the Impression series and other memorable events are taking place all over China during the holidays.
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| Spectacles like the Impression series and other memorable events are taking place all over China during the holidays. |
Spring Festival, began among the Han people, who form the majority in China. Today, many Chinese ethnic communities observe the festival. Let's go to southwest China's Yunnan Province to join in the New Year carnivals of the Yi and Miao ethnic groups.
In Nanhua County, hundreds of Yi people from several villages assembled in a town square early Monday morning. They came in their festive best, to express the cheerful spirit of Spring Festival with dance and song.
This year's Spring Festival is an especially happy event for local Yi people. A major highway, completed in 2007, broke through the mountain barriers that have kept the Yi people in relative isolation for centuries. A local initiative gave local residences a face lift, improved roads connecting villages and upgraded sanitation conditions.
The lives of the Yi people are being greatly improved through better incomes. With the support from both the central and local governments, the people have developed a strong, local tourism industry that is beginning to flourish.
In another part of Yunnan, Spring Festival coincided with the Huashan Festival of the Miao people. The festival opened with a traditional Miao folk dance to the music of the Lusheng, an ancient reed instrument. One of the highlights of Huashan was the pole climbing competition. The winner earned the title - King of the Pole.
