Guangdong brought its cultural heritage and tourism offerings to the U.S. East Coast during a weeklong cultural exchange tour in late July, with performances and promotional events across New York City and New Jersey.
The program featured the first joint performances of Guangdong's nationally recognized Cantonese lion dance and Chaoshan Yingge dance at New York's Lincoln Center, followed by appearances in Times Square, Manhattan's Chinatown and the American Dream mall in New Jersey.
The tour aimed not only to showcase the diversity of Lingnan culture but also to encourage more international travelers to visit Guangdong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
A broader picture of Lingnan culture
Both lion dance and Yingge dance have built international followings in recent years, and the U.S. tour follows a string of overseas appearances.
Earlier this year, the Puning Fumei Youth Yingge Team performed in Russia and Spain during the Spring Festival celebrations, captivating audiences even in Moscow's freezing winter. In 2025, Guangdong's Southern Lion Dance troupe performed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the first Chinese New Year after the Spring Festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This time, instead of presenting the traditions separately, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province brought them together.
The Southern Lion Dance troupe and the Puning Fumei Youth Yingge Team formed the cultural exchange group, with 32 performers presenting a specially choreographed production that blended two of Guangdong's best-known folk traditions.
The performance retained signature lion dance routines such as cai qing, or "plucking the greens," and high-pole acrobatics while incorporating newly arranged percussion that complemented Yingge's stick choreography.
The program also featured "MindScape," a contemporary dance production jointly created by the Guangdong Modern Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts.
Inspired by the Chinese philosophical ideal of embracing the world with an open mind, the production combines dance, poetry, live music, painting, video art and theatrical performance. The sounds of the guqin, xiao and percussion offered audiences a quieter, more contemplative contrast to the energy of lion dance and Yingge.
Together, the performances presented international audiences with a full portrait of Lingnan culture—one that embraces both centuries-old traditions and contemporary artistic innovation.
Taking culture beyond the theater
Following the Lincoln Center performances, the troupe brought lion dance, Yingge and dragon dances to Times Square on July 24, turning one of the world's busiest public spaces into an open-air stage. Crowds of tourists and residents stopped to watch, many encountering the traditions for the first time.
Zhao Weibin, a national representative inheritor of Guangdong lion dance, said that their goal was not simply to display intangible cultural heritage, but to bring it to life through storytelling and creative presentation.
That philosophy extended beyond the performances themselves. After each show, performers invited spectators to learn basic Yingge movements, try lion dance techniques and interact with the artists. The hands-on experience turned onlookers into participants.
The engagement continued in Manhattan's Chinatown, where performances and a parade drew crowds from the local Chinese community. "It was so special and so exciting," said Tina, a Chinese American whose family traces its roots to Chaoshan. "I hope more performances like this can help more Americans discover our culture."
The response has already sparked discussions about preserving the tradition locally. Li Junhao, a representative inheritor of Puning Yingge, said Chinese community organizations in and around New York have expressed interest in establishing local Yingge groups and offering long-term training programs. "At the moment, there aren't any Yingge teams in the United States," Li said. "But the interest is incredibly strong."
From cultural showcase to travel invitation
While the performances introduced Guangdong's cultural traditions, the delegation shifted the focus toward tourism at its final stop, hosting a tourism promotion event at the American Dream mall in New Jersey on July 26. Officials from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province promoted the province through 3 themes: great scenery, great food and great shopping.
The promotion emphasized the ease of access, citing direct flights between New York and Guangzhou, and China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
Culture as a bridge
Over the course of a week, Guangdong turned a series of performances into a broader cultural journey.
From the stage of Lincoln Center to the streets of Times Square, and from community celebrations in Chinatown to tourism promotion in New Jersey, the province combined traditional arts, contemporary performance and destination marketing into a single story.
Rather than simply showcasing cultural performances, the tour encouraged overseas audiences not only to appreciate Lingnan culture, but also to experience it firsthand by visiting Guangdong. It offered a glimpse of how heritage, creativity and tourism can work together to connect people across borders.
Reporter | Li Fangwang
Photos | Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province
Video | Li Fangwang
