Luocheng's Mulam ethnic group celebrates Yifan festival

Luocheng Mulam autonomous county in Hechi held the 4th Yifan Cultural Tourism Festival and an e-commerce promotion event on Nov 8, showcasing wonderful folk song and dance performances, as well as special products to tourists.

The Yifan Festival has been passed down through generations by the Mulam ethnic group in Luocheng for nearly 1,000 years. It is the essence and a symbol of traditional Mulam culture. Organized by villages or clans, the festival is a major event for people of the Mulam ethnic group to celebrate good harvests, show gratitude, and pray for blessings. Nowadays, it has also become an important platform to showcase Luocheng's poverty alleviation achievements.

The county has established an e-commerce entrepreneurship park, creating a local brand with Mulam characteristics and stories. It has developed modern agriculture, with the help of internet technologies, cooperatives, and planting bases, to lift impoverished households out of poverty. By the end of 2019, 82,000 people and 63 impoverished villages in Luocheng have been lifted out of poverty, with the poverty incidence rate dropping to 2.21 percent.

Young members of the Mulam ethnic group perform a traditional dance at the 4th Yifan Cultural Tourism Festival. [Photo by Tan Zheng/gxnews.com.cn]