The 12th Suzhou Dragon Boat Festival Folk Culture Festival in 2016

With the strong support of the Gusu District Government and Canglang Street and other departments, the 12th Suzhou Dragon Boat Festival Folk Culture Festival will be held at the Panmen Scenic Area from June 8 to 9, 2016. The activities are as follows:

1. Purpose and Theme

The Dragon Boat Festival is not only a traditional festival of the Chinese nation but also a world-class intangible cultural heritage project, and it is a festival that the people enjoy. In 2016, based on the experience of previous years, the festival will highlight the integration of traditional culture and modern elements, and strengthen the inheritance of Dragon Boat Festival culture. At the same time, in response to the characteristics and focus of large-scale activities, we will effectively strengthen organizational leadership, enhance coordination, and make meticulous arrangements to ensure safety.

This year's theme for the Dragon Boat Festival cultural activities:

Ancient City of a Thousand Years, Fashionable Dragon Boat Festival

Overall publicity slogan:

Inherit the thousand-year cultural vein, taste Suzhou-style life

2. Main Activity Arrangement

(1) Opening Ceremony Evening Gala: Sound, Poetry, and Painting "Dragon Boat Festival Pathos"

Time: June 8, 2016 (Wednesday) at 7:00 PM, approximately 40 minutes

Location: Water Stage at Lijing Building, Panmen Scenic Area

Reflecting Suzhou's "water-friendly" culture, the opening ceremony evening gala will combine live performances with singing, dancing, poetry, and other art forms, selecting elements related to the Dragon Boat Festival's history, figures, and traditions to tell the stories of the people and families related to the festival. The gala is divided into five chapters: 1. Dance: "Big City"; 2. Poetry Recitation: "Drunkenness"; 3. Trio Dance: "Painting a Tiger"; 4. Song and Dance: "Zongqing"; 5. Chorus: "Dragon Boat".

Special Reminder: For teams entering the park on the evening of the 8th, please do not use the explanation device in the activity center area; visitors can enjoy the view from the long corridors on both sides. Thank you for your cooperation!

(2) Series of Themed Activities

Concentrated on the morning of June 9, 2016, with seven themes:

Theme 1: "Blessing Dragon Boat Festival" Wu Clan Ancestral Worship Activity

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: Wu Xiang Shrine, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: Suzhou Wu Zixu Society, Panmen Scenic Area

Number of Participants: About 100 people

Wu Zixu is the designer of the ancient city of Suzhou. According to folklore, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, "Zixu dies, and the Water Fairy (Tao God) is born," and on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, "worship Wu Zixu and welcome the Water Fairy," promoting the spirit of Wu Zixu's loyalty to his career and love for the people. The worship ceremony is only arranged for representatives of the Wu clan, consisting of traditional customs such as offering flowers and wine, reading the sacrificial text, offering incense, and clan members paying respects.

Theme 2: "Zongqing Dragon Boat Festival" Fancy Zongzi Style Exhibition

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: South Square of Wu Xiang Shrine, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: Canglang Street Social Work Association

Number of Participants: About 50 people

Making and eating Zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival is a unique folk custom with a strong grassroots foundation and interactivity. In the early stages of the event, various types of Zongzi were solicited from the public in May, and more than 100 types of fancy Zongzi will be exhibited on-site on the morning of June 9, teaching wrapping techniques.

Theme 3: "Poetic Dragon Boat Festival" The 3rd Wu Region Dragon Boat Festival Poetry Meeting

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: East Courtyard of Wu Xiang Shrine, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: "Gusu Evening News", Canglang Poetry Society

Number of Participants: About 50 people

This poetry collection focuses on regulated poetry and will invite famous poets from Suzhou to serve as judges, awarding first, second, and third prizes as well as excellence awards. The winning works will be published in a special edition of the "Gusu Evening News" and collected for publication.

Theme 4: "Parent-Child Dragon Boat Festival" T-shirt Doodle Parent-Child Show

Time: June 9

Location: West Square of Lijing Building, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: "Good Family Style" Social Organization

Number of Participants: About 100 people

Mainly aimed at community families, five teachers will guide parents and children to hand-paint on T-shirts, and then children will wear their creations to walk the runway, with judges scoring. Through parent-child hand-painting of Dragon Boat Festival customs and runway introductions of Dragon Boat Festival stories, children and young parents can better understand traditional culture.

Theme 5: "Creative Dragon Boat Festival" Daily Necessities Design Market

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: Ruiguang Tower Square, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: Canglang Street Literary Federation

Number of Participants: About 50 people

Organizing college students and entrepreneurs to design and produce a batch of daily necessities depicting Suzhou's Dragon Boat Festival customs, with an expected 40 exhibited works, fully showcasing Dragon Boat Festival elements and Suzhou's innovative craftsmanship, allowing traditional culture to permeate the lives of young people and continuously infuse vitality into the inheritance.

Theme 6: "Fashionable Dragon Boat Festival" Suzhou Qipao Show

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: Long Corridor and Water Stage at Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: Canglang Street "Light Creative Pump Station"

Number of Participants: About 100 people

The Qipao is one of the most splendid phenomena and forms in Chinese clothing culture. The event will adopt a flat display and live runway format, welcoming ladies who love Qipao to walk the runway. At the same time, we will collect "Eight Scenic Spots of Suzhou Dragon Boat Festival" and design Qipao patterns based on these eight scenic spots, showcasing the creative combination of Chinese Qipao and Suzhou's Dragon Boat Festival through tie-dyeing, hand-painting, embroidery, and other techniques.

Special Reminder: On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, visitors wearing Qipao can enter the park for free!

Theme 7: "Fingertip Dragon Boat Festival" Youth Handicraft Exhibition of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Time: Morning of June 9

Location: Si Rui Hall, Panmen Scenic Area

Organizer: Panmen Scenic Area, Canglang Street Literary Federation

Number of Participants: About 50 people

In recent years, the Gusu District has achieved fruitful results in the protection of intangible cultural heritage through its emphasis and investment in the protection of traditional culture. This time, we will organize handmade works by young artists and community artists, expected to include around 100 pieces such as jade carving, nut carving, gold inlay, copper art, lacquer art, sculpture, jewelry making, Su fans, and straw weaving.

Warm reminder:

1. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival (June 9), Suzhou citizens can enter the Panmen Scenic Area for free with a valid ID (the only identifiable document), just like in previous years.

2. For green travel, coinciding with the college entrance examination period, it is recommended that citizens use public transportation or the subway.

3. The maximum capacity of the scenic area is 12,000 people at any given time. The scenic area will implement crowd control and visitor guidance in emergencies, and we appreciate your cooperation.

Climb the city tower, hang calamus, insert dogwood, light realgar, shoot five poisons... Experience the Dragon Boat Festival culture of Wu region and pay tribute to the father of Suzhou—Wu Zixu.