Dong New Year celebrations showcase ancient traditions

A video of recent Dong New Year celebrations in Zhaoxing Dong village, Guizhou province, showcases the community's long-standing cultural traditions.

The Dong New Year is a festival when the Dong people thank their ancestors, reunite with family, and celebrate the harvest. Dates vary by locality and often fall at the end of the Chinese calendar.

The Dong are renowned for their musical heritage. During the festival, the community's polyphonic Grand Song echoes through streets and lanes. Performances also include the vigorous lusheng pipe dance and a lively competition among more than 20 lusheng bands.

A young lusheng player said playing the instrument is central to the Dong cultural identity, adding that he and his friends stepped up their rehearsals before the festival.

Liu Yan contributed to this story.