First mud festival held in Shenyang

The first Shenyang Xibe mud festival and rice seedling transplanting activity opened in Shenbei new district in Shenyang, Northeast China’s Liaoning province, on June 18, to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival.

Activities were held at a rice theme park named Dao Meng Kong Jian, including yanko (a popular folk dance) performances, dragon boat races, football matches in muddy fields, and rice seedling transplanting.

Hosted by Shenyang Municipal Commission of Tourism and Shenbei new district, the festival aimed to promote the traditional mud culture of the Xibe ethnic group and rice culture, as well as advance the district’s development of tourism and agriculture.

The Xibe ethnic group was one of the first to engage in agriculture in North China, with members of the ethnic group planting rice in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Xibe people continue to have a great affection for land and agriculture.

In addition, the theme park has 3D paddy field "paintings" featuring historical figures such as Confucius.

Adopting special positioning technology, the paintings took technicians and local farmers nearly a month to complete.

The festival is part of a move by Shenbei new district to create a national demonstration area for all-for-one tourism, which refers to a regional development model where economy is mainly driven by tourism.

People perform a traditional dragon dance at the opening ceremony of the Xibe mud festival held in Shenyang, Liaoning province, June 18. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

People participate in a dragon boat race in muddy fields during the festival held in Shenyang, Liaoning province, June 18. [Photo/Chinanews.com]