Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Sichuan Ganzi Mountain Culture & Tourism Festival
Featuring a diverse range of activities, including nomadic culture performances, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) exhibitions, and folk customs experiences, this year's festival showcases the region's unique nomadic culture with modern cultural tourism development. The event has attracted numerous visitors eager to experience the charm of grassland culture.
The opening ceremony transformed Yuke Grassland into a natural stage. Local herders drove cattle across the vast grasslands, carrying black yak-hair tents traditionally used by Kham pastoralists and holding urdah—traditional stone-throwing ropes used by Tibetan herders for livestock management. The scenes vividly recreated the millennia-old nomadic lifestyle of Kham communities, who have long followed seasonal migration routes in search of water and pasture.
Behind them came a grand procession of heavy cavalry and the legendary Gesar riders. Riders in traditional attire galloped across the grassland, valiant and heroic in bearing. A vibrant parade of ethnic costumes then took the stage, showcasing pulu—a traditional Tibetan handwoven wool textile—alongside modern tailoring designs, highlighting the blending of ancient culture and modern fashion.
Riders Galloped at Full Speed on the Racecourse
"As the scenes of nomadic migration gradually unfolded before my eyes, a long-lost yearning for a simpler pastoral life suddenly welled up within me," said Mr. Zhang, a visitor who traveled from Beijing especially for the event. "My whole family loves the grassland lifestyle in Daofu. It is something you cannot experience in the city."
The Sichuan Ganzi Mountain Culture & Tourism Festival has been successfully held for seven editions to date. Running through July 26, this year's festival features eight major events, including the opening ceremony, the Ganzi 1,000-person ICH livestream showcase, and the fashion-inspired Guozhuang gala. Moreover, a range of grassland market activities—including ICH workshops, local produce exhibitions, local food tasting, and music-themed leisure gatherings—are being held in parallel, offering visitors an immersive cultural experience.
Daofu County, where this event took place, is situated in northwestern Sichuan Province, with an average summer temperature of around 24°C. The county boasts a remarkable blend of natural landscapes—including Yala Snow Mountain, Stone Forest Park, Yuke Grassland, alpine meadows, and Tianlong Lake—and cultural heritage, such as Kham traditions and the Highland Silk Road. From July 2021 to June 2026, Daofu County received a cumulative total of 10.4123 million tourists, generating nearly 11.454 billion yuan in tourism revenue.
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