Oroqen people and tourists dance around a fire to celebrate the traditional Bonfire Festival. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

The Bonfire Festival recently kicked off in Oroqen autonomous banner in the city of Hulunbuir in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region to preserve traditional customs and boost tourism development.

The Bonfire Festival is a traditional festival of the Oroqen people and has been included on the second autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage list.

After years of development, the Bonfire Festival has become a grand event for the Oroqen autonomous banner to enhance ethnic unity, gather momentum for development, and showcase the styles of all ethnic groups in the banner in the new era.

A dance performance is staged to celebrate the traditional Bonfire Festival. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

Activities at this year’s Bonfire Festival will run until October.

During this period, a series of cultural and creative competitions, costume exhibitions, ethnic traditional sports competitions, the Oroqen Forest Music Festival, the 5th Oroqen National Folk Square Dance Competition, the Oroqen Horse Racing Competition, and the Oroqen Banner Crossbow Invitational Competition will be held to improve the tourism experience.

Tourists camp on a river bank during the Bonfire Festival. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]