Festival enhances Guizhou's cultural bond with the US

Guizhou's intangible cultural heritage items attract the attention of locals at the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Southwest China's Guizhou province made a grand appearance at the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival on Aug 31, Washington time, in the United States. Its promotional culture and tourism event was a major highlight of the festival.

The Washington Chinese Cultural Festival, started in 1999 by the Greater Washington Chinese American Community, has become a major event in the DC area. The festival showcased a variety of performances, including lion dances, vocal shows, musical recitals, martial arts, and acrobatics. It also offers cultural exhibits and interactive activities like calligraphy, Chinese painting, theater, tea ceremonies, and culinary displays.

Stunning photos of Guizhou's natural scenery are exhibited at the festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We are showing the different minorities of Guizhou. There's Miao (people), and there's Dong (people). And there's all the drawings and the figurines, and they all represent 1 of the 17 minorities in Guizhou," Nafisa Rustan, a volunteer working at Guizhou's workshop of ethnic groups, told China Daily.

"Different cultures have really interested me because I'm also part of a minority, and I just like learning about other minorities and where they come from and how they are today," said Rustan. "And I think it's also really awesome sharing the culture of the Chinese."

At the event, five workshops showcased the rich cultural heritage of Guizhou, a place that in 2016 earned a place in the New York Times list of top "52 places to go," including traditional batik, ethnic clothing, tea, and a photo exhibition showcasing Guizhou's scenic beauty.

Visitors take photos in front of Guizhou's exhibition booth at the festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone is saying that if they visit China, they must go to Guizhou. Many people are familiar with Beijing and Shanghai, but when it comes to Guizhou, it's often unknown to foreigners. Yet, Guizhou is incredibly beautiful and deserves to be known by more people," Zou Ying, a volunteer at one of the Guizhou workshops, told China Daily.

Nicole He, an event attendee, shared her surprise at seeing Guizhou's traditional batik art in person. "I had seen a documentary about Guizhou's batik on TV, but I never expected to encounter it here. The colors in batik aren't always easy to get right on the first try. You need to understand the process and work on it for a long time. These materials are rare, so I was amazed to see them here in DC," she told China Daily.

Visitors gather to enjoy the art of Guizhou tea brewing at the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival in Washington DC on Saturday. [Photo by Minlu Zhang/provided to China Daily]

The most common feedback from visitors about the Guizhou workshops was that they were "very unique." The opportunity to witness authentic culture brought to Washington DC, excited many foreign guests, Maggie Wu told China Daily.

It was a great platform for showcasing Chinese culture, said Wu. Foreign visitors expressed their amazement, with many asking when there would be more Guizhou workshops where they could learn these crafts, or if there were any websites where they could purchase the items, she said.

"We also introduced them to the natural beauty of Guizhou. Some of them were very interested and asked detailed questions about the pricing and itinerary of travel tours to Guizhou," Wu said.