Folk Ceremonies

Drums and gongs sound, dragons and lions dance: evil warded, blessing welcomed, festivity from south to north.

A festival procession custom for warding evil and praying for harvest, widespread across China.

Sacrifice, market, street food and stunts in one — the great carnival of the old countryside.

Rites, markets and amusements fused: the scene of public life in rural antiquity.

Tens of thousands walk on foot behind the Mazu palanquin — a pilgrimage of faith spanning the strait.

Born in southern Fujian, carried across the sea to Taiwan: nine days and nights with a million devotees.

A forceful collective martial dance, shouted into motion, rooted in ancient battle formations.

A thunderous procession dance descended from ancient armies, the emblematic folk art of Chaoshan.

Drum phalanxes galloping on the loess plateau, drums shaking the sky — the raw power of the northern earth released.

The signature folk drum dance of northern Shaanxi: a collective square revelry, the life cry of the loess plateau.

Fish lanterns tour the night; the fish stands for abundance — a moving prayer of light in southern Anhui villages.

Night parades of fish lanterns in Shexian villages, wishing surplus year after year — a signature custom of southern Anhui.

Thousand-degree molten iron flung into the night sky into a sky-full of sparks: the most stunning of folk fireworks.

Striking molten iron into showers of sparks — an ancient, breathtaking ritual of the Yellow River basin.

The steppe gathering: wrestling and horse racing — the carnival of nomads.

The Mongol steppe festival of horse racing, wrestling and archery — a celebration of blessing for nomadic peoples.

Torches lit and carried through hills and fields to drive off evil and pray for harvest — the carnival night of southwest peoples.

The great fire-sacrifice custom of the Yi: torches held high, songs and dances, praying for abundant grain.

Clear water splashed to wash off the old year’s dust and welcome the Dai new year.

The Dai new-year bathing-of-the-Buddha custom: water as blessing, welcoming the new year.

Masked performance on steppe squares — the ancient theater of Tibet.

A world intangible heritage: masked storytelling fusing faith and performance.