Dragon Teams from China and Thailand performed a showdown for Guangxi “March 3rd” Festival

A splendid showdown between the dragon teams

Photogragh by Qin Shiwen

Dragon teams dancing along the South Lake after competition

Photograph by Zheng Xiaojun

Recently, the 3rd International Traditional Dragon Dance Invitational Tournament was held in Qingxiu District, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. To celebrate the Zhuang’s ethnical traditional festival “March 3rd”, dragon teams from China and Thailand staged a wonderful showdown at the famous South Lake Park in Qingxiu District.

On the 3rd day of every March of the lunar calendar, the Zhuang people would gather in groups and sing in antiphonal style with each other. Therefore, this day is also known as the carnival of the Zhuang people.

This year, ten dragon teams have participated in the tournament. They come from different regions, such as Khon Kaen (Thailand), Hanyang District (Wuhan,Hubei Province), Yichang (Hubei Province), Zhanjiang (Guangdong Province), Longsheng County (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).

A total of twenty dragons from all teams billowed up and down by the side of South Lake and attracted thousands of visitors. This is a multi-national and multi-regional carnival feast of dragon dance culture and traditional folk activities, as well as a perfect combination of traditional culture and sports tourism industry.

At the end of the tournament, two teams from Khon Kaen and Qingxiu District were tied for the first place. They were the Golden Dragon Lion Dance Sports Club and the Qinglongjiang Art Troupe of Changtang Town respectively.

Li Yongyao, the Minister of Publicity Department of Qingxiu District in Nanning, said that the annual traditional dragon dance invitational tournament is not only the highlight of a series of cultural activities for the “March 3rd” festival in Qingxiu District, but also an important platform for the exchange of dragon dance culture between Guangxi and Southeast Asian countries.