Dance extravaganza flaunts national cultural diversity

Dancers give a traditional Qiang ethnic group performance on July 8, 2017. With a population of over 300,000, the Qiang people mostly dwell in hilly and stream-crisscrossed areas in Sichuan province. The Qiang often wear gowns made of cotton and silk layered with sleeveless sheepskin jackets. They are known for their work songs and their dances are accompanied by musical instruments such as gongs, tambourines, and bamboo flutes. [Photo/Xinhua]

This group of Mongolian dancers take to the stage at China’s 7th Ethnic Culture and Art Festival, something of a hometown performance given the ethnic group largely calls Inner Mongolia autonomous region home. Mongolians are well-known for skill in horsemanship and archery thanks to a pastoral lifestyle that developed over the past centuries. Nadam, a grand Mongolian fair, is usually as the prime festival showcasing the region’s historic stylistic customs including Bohk (Mongolian wrestling), horse parading, and camel racing. [Photo/Xinhua]