Hua Jie festival

The "Hua Jie" festival is celebrated annually by the people of the Zhuang community, living in Guangnan county in Yunnan Province. The Hua Jie festival, or "floral street festival", falls in March on the Lunar calendar.

TheHuaJiefestival,or"floralstreetfestival",fallsinMarch
ontheLunarcalendar.

According to legend, the Hua Jie festival originated from the ceremony of exchanging seeds, and it's also thought it was a chance for young people to find love. This year's Hua Jie festival began on Monday. The Zhuang people held ceremonies and took part in traditional dancing.

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Student Film Festival gives out awards

The sixth annual Beijing Student Film Festival has awarded its trophies after an online poll of college students from around the country,and with the assistance of expert judges.Filmmakers are paying increasing attention to the tastes of students who make up the largest part of China's audience for films.

ThesixthannualBeijingStudentFilmFestivalhasawardeditstrophies
afteranonlinepollofcollegestudentsfromaroundthecountry.

Fan Wei and Zhang Jingchu were chosen as the Most Popular Actor and Actress.

"Ip Man"'s director Wilson Yip won the award for Most Popular Director.

A biopic of late Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, "Forever Enthralled", was named Best Film. And Yu Shaoqun, who plays the younger Mei Lanfang, was named Best Newcomer.

Zhang Jiarui won the Best Director Award for "Red River". And the box office hit "You Are the One" won the Critics Award.

Thefestivalalsolaunchedaprojectaimedatencouragingcollegestudents
towritescreenplays.

Donnie Yan was the "Best Actor" winner for his role in "Ip Man". And Zhou Xun was "Best Actress" for her part in "The Equation of Love and Death".

"Painted Skin" won the Best Visual Effects Award.

The festival also launched a project aimed at encouraging college students to write screenplays.

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Cartoon and animation festival opens in E Chinas city

CartoonpandastarsareseeninascenicspotofNantongHorticulture
ExpoParkinNantong,acityofeastChina'sJiangsuProvince,April27,
2009.BringingmanyprevailingcartoonstarslikepandaPaul,GrayWolf
andHappySheeptomeetvisitors,2009NantongCartoonandAnimation
FestivalwasopenedinNantongHorticultureExpoParkonMonday.Activities
focusingoneightthemeswouldbeheldindifferentscenicspotsofthe
park.[Photo:Xinhua/DingXiaochun]

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Chinese ethnic minorities celebrate Qingming Festival

Over the weekend, Chinese across the country, including ethnic minority people, celebrated the Qingming Festival, remembering their ancestors and paying respect to the gods.

Overtheweekend,Chineseacrossthecountry,includingethnic
minoritypeople,celebratedtheQingmingFestival,remembering
theirancestorsandpayingrespecttothegods.

In Southwest China's Guizhou Province, people of the Gelao ethnic group gathered in a village in the early morning. The village leader announced the beginning of a sacrificial ceremony. Texts were recited and villagers played special music. The leader also made a pilgrimage to a sacred stone, which symbolizes the ancestry of the Gelao people.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, tens of thousands of Zhuang ethnic people gathered at the Ganzhuang Mountain to commemorate their ancestor, Buluotuo. Unlike other nationalities, the Zhuang people worship their ancestor by singing.

And in the Northeastern province Liaoning, Manchurian performers re-enacted the grandeur of imperial ceremonies with festive dances.

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