Performers in the opening ceremony of the festival, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With a theme of "charm of an ancient city, and appeal of the Miao people", Zhenfeng county will host "relative-visiting festival" of the Miao ethnic group on March 17 and 18. 

Although a folk custom in itself, it will also promote the construction of a demonstration county, of national unity, promotes the development of cultural tourism and helps lift more people out of poverty.

The organizer invited 50 provincial leaders and experts, 120 Miao people from other provinces including Yunnan, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing, and around 1,200 Miao people from villages and towns in the prefecture. It's estimated that more than 20,000 people will join the activities. The activities will include folk songs, folk dance, folk sports competition, costume and intangible cultural heritage shows, costume competition, photo contest, gala performance, and a bonfire party.

Famous Miao performers have been invited, including Yang Shengwen, first-rank performer at China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble, Pan Xingzhou, a famous folk song singer, and Yang Guanghe, one of top 10 stunt performers of Miao ethnicity in China. They will perform for the audiences without taking any reward to promote their unique culture. It will play a positive role in the development of the local tourism industry. In recent days, the performers have been in rehearsal with the hope to provide a feast for the eyes of the entire audience. 

A performer singing in the 2015 festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]