From August 13 to 14, the "2025 Lianshan Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Season Series Activities—ICH Training Course" took place at the Media Convergence Center of Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County in Qingyuan, northern Guangdong.
The training brought together provincial experts to deliver lectures on topics including ICH preservation, culture-tourism integration, cultural and creative product development, AI empowerment, rural tourism competitiveness, and Zhuang-Yao folk hospitality.
A highlight was the debut of the course "AI-Empowered Intelligent Design for ICH Cultural and Creative Products," which explored the intersection of intelligent design and cultural heritage.
Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County, under the jurisdiction of Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, features a mild climate, fertile soil, and lush vegetation—ideal conditions for agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. The county has become a key production base for specialty agricultural products, including organic rice, giant ginger (Zingiber officinale), Chinese yam, fruits, lotus roots, bamboo shoots, and southern medicinal herbs.
Lianshan is a multi-ethnic community rich in intangible cultural heritage, where the Zhuang, Yao, and Han ethnic groups each maintain distinctive festivals and folk customs. Notable celebrations include the Zhuang people's Start Ploughing Festival (开耕节), Cattle King Festival (牛王诞), and Water-Sprinkling Festival (戏水节); the Yao people's Pan Wang Festival (盘王节); and the Han community's Liberation Day (解放节).
The Cattle King Festival is a significant occasion for the Zhuang people to honor the Cattle King and express gratitude to their farm cattle. The Pan Wang Festival reflects the Yao people's reverence for Pan Wang, their ancestral figure who pioneered their mountain homeland.
The Cattle King Festival
Pan Wang Festival
Lianshan is also home to a wealth of intangible cultural heritage, including the Fire Lion Dance (舞火狮), Yao Tambourine Dance (瑶族小长鼓舞), Qianghuapao Bamboo Ball Game (抢花炮), Zhuang Bayin (八音) and Yao Bayin—distinctive forms of traditional eight-tone music. These cultural expressions have been recognized at the national or provincial level as valuable intangible heritage.
Lianshan's unique Liberation Festival further embodies the region's historical evolution and the local people's celebration of peace and prosperity.
Yao Tambourine Dance
Author | Ye Ziyi (intern), Liu Lingzhi
Editor | James Campion, Shen He
Photo | Tourism Bureau of Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County
