The opening ceremony for the 14th Huangshan International Tourism & Hui Culture Festival was held in Xiang Ming Grand Theater, Huangshan City of Anhui province on April 23, 2010. Launching so close to the 2010 Shanghai Expo, this year’s Huangshan Festival makes a special effort to relate its theme (Let the festival cheer for the world expo, let mountains add color to the famous city) to that of the Shanghai Expo (Better city, better life).

The year 2010 is positioned as the “Tourism Year of the Expo” in China, and Huangshan City is the only “demonstration site for the experience tours of the theme of the expo” outside Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai; its famous Huangshan Mountain (also known as Yellow Mountain), Tunxi Ancient Street and the Ancient Huizhou City in Shexian County are listed as one of the “demonstration sites” in the Yangtze River Delta.

Also, compared with previous festivals, this year’s Huangshan Festival makes daring innovations in its activities and duration. On the one hand, 21 activities will be launched during the festival, including mountain cycling, photography competition, cultural tours and products promotion. On the other hand, duration of the festival is longer than in previous years—it extends from April 23 to the end of 2010. All districts and counties of Huangshan City and Huangshan Scenic Area will participate in the festival.

Huangshan International Tourism & Hui Culture Festival has been held every one or two years since 1991. To date, 13 festivals have met with the public. It has become a platform for cultural exchange, developing friendships and seeking collaboration.

After the opening ceremony, people at the Xiang Ming Grand Theater enjoyed a large-scale multimedia song & dance performance—Charm of Anhui Culture.

Short list of activities at the 14th Huangshan International Tourism & Hui Culture Festival:

Apr 23, opening ceremony

Apr 22—25, 5th Huangshan MTB Festival

Jul—Aug, 3rd Huangshan Martial Arts Competition

November, 6th Huangshan Mountain International Climbing Festival

Nov—Dec, 5th Qianxian County International Photography Festival

By Li Jing