King Pan festival of the Yao ethnic group

The King Pan festival of the Yao minority is on Oct 16 of the Chinese lunar calendar. On that day, the people of the Yao ethnic group in Zixing city (county-level city) organize activities of Fulfilling King Pan's Wishes.

The activities last for seven days and nights and include a variety of art forms, such as songs, dances and other performances. The tambourine dance imitates daily activities: honoring gods, hunting, housing, slashing, burning and planting, which vividly reproduces the lifestyle of the Yao minority in the past. In ancient times, people of the Yao ethnic group lived a nomadic life.

They did not have their own language and their history and culture were passed down in the form of folk songs and sacrifice activities from Fulfilling King Pan's Wishes. This is how the minority recorded its migration life. The ritual ceremonies of the Yao Minority in Zixing city for the King Pan Festival are handed down in the form of performances taught by Taoist priests from generation to generation. They are the Yao minority's typical Taoist activities with great value of rescue and protection.