This footage was filmed and produced 3 April 2024.

[Note: partially no sound]

Folk customs performances such as dragon dance and rabbit lantern parade have feasted the eyes of tourists flocking to Chongzhou City of southwest China's Sichuan Province ahead of the Qingming Festival holiday, which runs from Thursday to Saturday.

The folk customs performances are staged by local residents to pray for bumper harvest and prosperity.

A dragon dance parade attracted many residents and tourists in Chongzhou's Yuantong Ancient Town on Wednesday.

The spectacular parade features a unique "growing dragon", which was only three meters long when locals started the parade nearly 270 years ago, but is now more than 300 meters long as the locals would add a new section to it every year.

"I have never seen such a long dragon. Someone says people would add a new section to the dragon every year, and have just added the 270th section to it this year. This symbolizes our hope that just like the growing dragon, our life will also become better every year," said a tourist named Tang Jiaxin.

A rabbit lantern parade started after sunset in the ancient town.

Many children, accompanied by their parents and holding cute homemade rabbit lanterns, paraded past local villages, streets and ancestral halls.

Rabbits are considered auspicious by local people. During the Qingming Festival every year, local families would parade with rabbit lanterns to pray for a good harvest and good luck.

"This is the second time for me to participate in the rabbit lantern parade. I hope that my rabbit lantern can bring others happiness and harvest," said a local kid named Wang Jinxi.

The folk customs performances, along with many other folk cultural events, will continue through Saturday.

The Qingming Festival, which falls on Thursday this year, is also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is a time-honored traditional festival when Chinese families pay tribute to the deceased and worship their ancestors and go outing amid the spring warmth.

SHOTLIST

Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province, southwest China - April 3, 2024
1. Aerial shots of dragon parade in progress;
2. Various of parade in progress, tourists watching, filming with phone;
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Tang Jiaxin, tourist:
"I have never seen such a long dragon. Someone says people would add a new section to the dragon every year, and have just added the 270th section to it this year. This symbolizes our hope that just like the growing dragon, our life will also become better every year.";
4. Aerial shots of rabbit lantern parade in progress;
5. Various of parade in progress;
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jinxi, participant in rabbit lantern parade (ending with shot 7):
"This is the second time for me to participate in the rabbit lantern parade. I hope that my rabbit lantern can bring others happiness and harvest.";
7. Various of lantern parade in progress.