Folk art festival opens with a flourish in Hechi

The 20th Bronze Drum and Folk Song Art Festival kicked off on Dec 2 in Nandan county in Hechi -- the prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region -- with an opening ceremony gala held in the evening.

Themed on "Charming Hechi, Beautiful Nandan", this year's festival is composed of six major activities, according to the organizers.

They include the opening ceremony gala, performances and handicraft exhibitions and a painting, calligraphy and photography exhibition.

"This year's art festival can be said to be an art festival that belongs to the common people," noted one organizing official.

Over 90 percent of the more than 1,000 performers in the opening ceremony gala, which was open to the public for free, were dance troupe members and students.

Since 1999, the festival has been held in the 11 counties or districts of Hechi in turn.

It has become one of the top three art festivals in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, along with the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival and the Guilin Landscape Tourism Festival.

The festival will conclude on Dec 4.

The opening ceremony gala of the 20th Bronze Drum and Folk Song Art Festival is held in Nandan county, Hechi, on Dec 2. [Photo/gxnews.com.cn]