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Qiqiao Girls' Festival to kick off in Gansu

china.org.cn / chinagate.cn by Mi Xingang, July 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The 8th Longnan Qiqiao Girls' Festival will be held in Xihe County of Longnan City in Gansu Province from August 2 to 9, according to a press conference held in Beijing on July 27.

The scene of observing the Qiqiao Festival. [File Photo] 

Xihe is home to the Chinese Qiqiao culture, which refers to praying to deities for wisdom, ingenuity and happiness during a grand ceremony.

As most of the participants of the festival are unmarried girls of marriage age, it is also called the "Chinese Girls' Festival."

Centered on the theme of "Approaching Glamorous Longnan and Exploring Qiqiao Culture," this session of the festival is also part of the activities of the first Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, which will kick off in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, on September 20.

According to Hao Ailong, head of Xihe County, during the press conference, the event includes a culture protection themed forum, a project promotion and investment attraction fair, a cityscape and natural scenery picture exhibition, a female calligraphy exhibition, a cuisine competition and seven other main activities.

The traditional Qiqiao festival customs, including site selection for the ceremony, greeting and worshiping the deity Girl Weaver, entertaining, divining and seeing off the Girl Weaver, will all be showcased during the event.

In recent years, Xihe County has achieved great accomplishments by combining Qiqiao cultural protection with poverty alleviation, urban construction, tourism development and e-commerce and people's income has increased remarkably, Hao added.