The 2026 Spring Yao Folk Song Festival, themed "Walk the Thousand-Year-Old Ancient Path, Answer the Call of Yao Folk Songs," kicked off at the Huifeng Pavilion on the Xiaohe Ancient Path in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County. More than 20,000 local residents along the ancient path participated spontaneously, gathering in small groups to sing and compete in folk songs. More than ten types of traditional Yao folk songs took the stage one after another, including Wuzhou songs, butterfly songs, Badu songs, and Jintian folk songs. The festival revitalized ancient Yao folk songs along the Xiaohe Ancient Path, presenting a feast of springtime Yao folk music in the mountains and fields, and showcasing the unique charm of Jianghua as the "Home of the Yao Folk Songs."

This Yao Folk Song Festival was guided by the Culture, Tourism, and Sports Bureau of Jianghua Yao Autonomous County, and hosted by local cultural center and the Yao Studies Association. Yao singers from four neighboring counties in Hunan's Jianghua, Daoxian, and Jiangyong counties and Guangxi's Fuchuan County gathered together to express emotions and make friends through songs, showcasing the unique culture and folk customs of the Yao people. Together, they promoted the integrated development of culture and tourism across various Yao regions, singing an anthem of unity that strengthens the sense of community for the Chinese nation and builds a shared spiritual homeland.

Rooted in the inheritance, protection, and innovative development of Yao culture, Jianghua Yao Autonomous County has been striving to build a Yao cultural tourism brand in recent years. It has already hosted various Yao ethnic festivals and festive events such as the Panwang Festival, the Cattle King Festival, the Fire Dragon and Lion Dance Lantern Festival, the Yao Medicine and Herb Festival, and the Yao Folk Song Festival.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday