Chongqing kicks off ethnic celebrations with bamboo ring ball match

In the heart of a vibrant village, a bamboo-woven spherical ball, the size of a soccer ball, danced between teammates, its tinkling bell resonating crisply in the air. The event was a bamboo ring ball match featured at the ongoing 14th Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Week in Chongqing's Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county.

The annual week-long event, which began on Wednesday, is designed to foster exchanges, interactions and unity among the diverse ethnic communities, while also serving as a prelude to the upcoming National Day Holiday, which starts on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

"The sport (bamboo ring ball) looks simple, but it requires a lot of skills and physical strength," said 38-year-old accomplished bamboo ring ball player Mao Fuchuan, a local villager.

This year, the local community is presenting a variety of ethnic games, such as the elephant-tug-of-war (known as Yajia in Chinese), board shoes racing and cockfighting. Additionally, captivating performances will highlight intangible cultural heritages such as local Taiyuan folk songs, bullfighting and pole lion dancing.

"These ethnic sports serve as excellent means for preserving ethnic cultures and fostering ethnic unity," said Wen Zhenhua, Party secretary of the local ethnic and religious affairs committee. "By engaging in competitions, we are encouraging young people to carry forward ethnic competitive events."

Located in southeast Chongqing, Pengshui is home to 318,000 Miao people who comprise 45.4 percent of the county's population. It boasts the highest concentration of Miao people in all ethnic minority counties, according to local authorities.

In recent years, Pengshui has been actively revitalizing a diverse array of intangible cultural heritages, such as Miao crossbow. Wen said. The county has been exploring innovative approaches to combine ethnic cultures into the daily lives of its residents, such as adding the elements of the intangible cultural heritages into the development of artistic products, study tours and scenic spots.

By organizing these activities, people can deepen their understanding of the customs and cultural traditions of different ethnic groups, nurture ethnic solidarity and foster a robust sense of unity among communities, Wen said.

Pengshui's rich ethnic heritage has also drawn numerous visitors. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, a Chiyou sacrificial ceremony is held around a stone totem pillar at the local Chiyou Jiuli Town — a Miao-themed architecture. It receives roughly 1.5 million visitors from around the world a year.