My friend, Tu, invited me to join a class trip to the Peach Blossom Festival. On Saturday, we took a bus at 8:30AM. I was surprised at how many students were already walking campus that early on a weekend!
Peaches traditionally symbolize longevity. In Chinese folklore, divinities ate peaches in order to sustain immortality. The Jade Emperor would feed the gods peaches to ensure their eternal existence.
The culturally significant peach blossoms are highly appreciated and marveled at each spring.
The main attraction is, of course, the field of peach blossoms. Hundreds of people walked between the rows of trees to admire nature and take pictures.
Unfortunately, a cold winter has brought a late spring and most of the trees had not yet blossomed.
Like all festivals, there were also vendors and activities, including a large stage with performances.
This instrument made beautiful music!
An interesting sale item. They were also selling bunnies for pets. The chicks, however, are for eating.
Check out the long fishing poles.
While Peach Blossom Festivals have taken place throughout China for many years, this was only the second one near Jingzhou, taking place in a small, poor village in the countryside. Mrs. Sha informed me that the festival has been hosted here in hopes of bringing more economic development to the area. In the below picture, you can see a few village homes, of which there are only a few dozen. Just since last spring, the number of houses with plumbing has doubled, in part due to the festival bringing money from the cities.
Overall, I would say that the festival was a success! I sure had a great time!
1 comments:
Wonderful pictures of the festival
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