A Grand Celebration Held in Ledong, China for Li and Miao Traditional “San Yue San” Festival

On the third day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 22, 2023, Ledong Li autonomous county located in the southwest of Hainan Free Trade Port held a grand celebration for the annual traditional Sanyuesan Festival of the Li and Miao ethnic groups.

Since ancient times, the “San Yue San” has been a traditional festival for Li and Miao people to mourn their ancestors, praise life and eulogize heroes as well as for their young men and women to find love.

Taking this festival as an opportunity, Ledong county launched more than 10 events including the Opening Ceremony and the Variety Show of the 2023 Hainan Li and Miao Traditional “San Yue San” Festival, the Li Brocade Fashion and Culture Show, Traditional Sports Competition and Hainan Displays of World Heritage in China jointly with the relevant department of Hainan Province to celebrate the festival together with locals and tourists, according to the Publicity Department of Ledong County Party Committee.

During the celebration, Ledong also launched a quality tourist route that connects Jianfengling, Longmuwan, Yingge Salt Field and other special tourist resources to give visitors an experience of the unique fascination of Ledong with its mountain and sea as well as the ocean of flowers.

The ancestors of Ledong, flourishing in this magical land since the Neolithic era, created a splendid civilization that connects the ancient and modern times spanning thousands of years. The county’s Da’an Township and Huangliu Township were named “Hometown of Chinese Folk Art” by the Ministry of Culture; the Traditional Li Textile Techniques of Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving and Embroidering as well as the Yazhou Folk Songs were selected into the “Representative List of National-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Items”, with the Traditional Li Textile Techniques of Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving and Embroidering inscribed on UNESCO’s “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding” in 2009.

According to a local official in Ledong, the “San Yue San” Festival has become an important platform to showcase the ethos of ethnic group people and to pass on and promote the excellent tradition and culture of the Li and Miao ethnic groups. The official said that through these festival activities, we are demonstrating the achievements made by the flourishing Ledong as well as the positive changes in the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port.

Source: Publicity Department of Ledong County Party Committee