To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, the charcoal sparks dance, an intangible cultural heritage of China, provided a visual feast for visitors at a scenic spot in east China's Anhui Province As night fell at the Qiyunshan scenic spot in Xiuning County on Saturday, a charcoal sparks dance performance illuminated the sky. As the performers waved bamboo poles adorned with spark-emitting cages, sparks transformed into countless golden flowers.
"I've seen it on TV before. It's even more amazing and enjoyable to see on site. I highly recommend it," said Shen Lusha, a tourist.
The charcoal sparks dance is a traditional folk dance originating from central China's Hunan Province. The performers place red-hot charcoal fuel into a small iron wire cage, which is then tied to the tip of a bamboo pole with a rope. Then they swing the bamboo pole, triggering the wire lantern to move. In the night, the dance creates a mesmerizing display, with changing movements and flying sparks.
"The dimmer the light, the better it will be," said Wang Tongzhang, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage.
The dance not only won acclaim from the audience offline, but also gained the attention of tens of millions of online viewers on the short video platforms.
"Dancing requires a lot of efforts. Once you start, you have to keep going. The bigger the movements, the larger the sparks. So if you begin dancing, you can't pause. Sometimes, the charcoal sparks may even fall on my head and burn my hair. Through my videos, I hope people can see and understand this traditional culture," said Shi Haifeng, a short video maker.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday this year, Qiyunshan scenic spot has created an immersive tourism experience with focus on intangible cultural heritage performances, aiming to attract first-time visitors to return.
"While enjoying the beautiful scenery of Qiyun Mountain, tourists can also immerse themselves in intangible cultural heritage skills. During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, it is expected that the number of tourists will exceed 100,000," said Tao Ru, manager of the cultural tourism department of the Qiyunshan Management Committee.
The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, as well as an occasion for family and friend reunions to eat mooncakes and appreciate the moon. It falls on the fifteenth day of the eight month in the traditional Chinese calendar.
This year's festival falls on Sept 17, with the public holiday running from Sunday to Tuesday.
Dazzling charcoal sparks dance provides visual fest for visitors in China's Anhui
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
