Local traditions in Tongxiang fascinate foreigners

A foreigner tries out silk weaving on a loom in Tongxiang city, East China's Zhejiang province, March 30, 2019. [Photo by Chen Weimin/chinadaily.com.cn]

According to a folk legend, the deity of the silkworm passed Tongxiang and left good luck. Anyone who went out for a hike during the Qingming Festival could take the luck home and get double the harvest of silk. Thus, people hold a ceremony to worship the deity of the silkworm, and other activities to pray for a good silk harvest.

Yvonne Horst, the travel blogger from GoYvon who has lived and worked in China for six years, visited Tongxiang for the first time.

"I haven't seen a ceremony held in the Qingming Festival. What I know about the Qingming Festival is it is a festival to commemorate ancestors. I think it's just family members going to sweep tombs together. However, there is such a big event to celebrate the harvest in Tongxiang, which gives me a chance to get a deeper understanding of the local culture," Horst said.