Water festival brings fun, coolness to Hainan

Bursting with traditional Li ethnic bamboo flute music and ancient sacred dances, the 2023 Hainan Seven Fairies Hot Spring Water Fun Festival got underway in Baoting Li and Miao autonomous county in Hainan province on Tuesday — the Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's Day.

This year marked the 20th edition of the festival, a return after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event ends on Wednesday.

First held in 2000, the festival draws inspiration from ancient Li ethnic rituals. Legend has it that on Qixi, the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Seventh Fairy, the youngest daughter of the emperor in heaven, and her husband, Dong Yong, met at the Magpie Bridge. The Li people gather to commemorate their love at the hot springs with dancing, singing and offerings of sacrifices in prayer for favorable weather.

The festival was named in 2011 as one of China's top 10 famous festival brands and most popular folk festival by the UNESCO Folk Art Organization.

Mu Kerui, Party secretary of the Baoting Li and Miao autonomous county committee, called upon attendees to cherish the moment, enjoy water fun, and experience the festivities to the fullest.

Huang Weican, an 18-year-old resident who is a freshman at South-Central Minzu University, expressed her excitement about the festival.

"This year's event is grander and more diverse than before. The water activities give me a refreshing feeling. I hope this event can help people understand the culture of the Li and Miao ethnic groups as well as my hometown," she said.

Chen Liqing, a visitor, said, "I came with my little nephew. He's so happy, running around with his little water gun. I hope he will experience the traditional culture of Baoting."

Ya Tian and his Happy Outdoors club members from Haikou praised the event's harmony and grandeur. "I really hope such festival activities could be held more often. Our team has traveled to many places around the country, but I have never seen such a good event. It showcases the primal natural power of ethnic culture."