Nanyang to hold int'l Guan Yu culture festival

The Nanyang government holds a press conference on the 2018 International Guan Yu Culture Festival on Sept 12. [Photo/Weibo: Sheqifabu]

The 2018 International Guan Yu Culture Festival will be held in Shedian town, Nanyang from Sept 27 to 30 to celebrate traditional Chinese culture and boost tourism.

This year, around 300 guests from 14 different countries and regions, including cultural experts, scholars and 13 delegations from Guan Yu temple, will gather in the ancient town to celebrate Guan Gong culture.

Guan Yu, a famous general during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), is respected as the epitome of loyalty, righteousness, integrity, and bravery. The Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, built by merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces in Shedian town during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has become a place to honor Guan Yu with sacrificial offerings provided by locals every month.

The tradition was resumed in Shedian in 2014 and the International Guan Yu Culture Festival has been held four times since. Due to its uniqueness, it has become a large-scale and high-level event with far-reaching influence, and has become a representation of cultural Sheqi. The event is attracting a lot of attention this year, as 2018 marks the 1,858th anniversary of the birth of Guan Yu.

The cultural tourism festival can be divided into six parts, including the opening ceremony, a sacrificial ceremony, international cultural forum on Guan Gong culture, cultural performance parade, photo and short video contest, and tourism activities.

Quyi performances, Chinese operas, jet ski performances, painting and calligraphy exhibitions, antique trading, and other fascinating activities will be provided for audiences. A series of profit activities and the preferential promotion of tourism is expected to bring in a huge number of visitors.

Delegations from Malaysia and Gongcheng, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will be present to support the festival with special programs.