A grand Foshan folk festival comes again! From October 31th to November 4th, 2018 Foshan Qiuse Parade was held at the Ancestral Temple and surrounding historical and cultural blocks, and the most concerned parade was held tonight (Nov. 2nd) and tomorrow night (Nov. 3rd).

 

Qiuse (also named as Autumn Color) is a traditional folklore activity in Foshan and a national intangible cultural heritage project with a history of more than 600 years. Since 2010, Foshan Qiuse Parade is held once a year in autumn season in Foshan, which is widely loved by citizens.    

 

With Foshan Qiuse Parade as the main line, the events this year feature folk art and regional customs of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Pan-Pearl River Delta, including the show of intangible cultural heritage, parade performances and folk activities. Besides, the activities mainly contain seven sections, including the live exhibition of intangible cultural heritage, Autumn Festival of the Ancestral Temple, Rural Drinking Ceremony, cooperation dialogue on intangible cultural heritage, Qiuse Competition, Qiuse Parade and Qiuse Big Stage.

 

 

 

In the evening of October 31th, six floats of Foshan Qiuse lighted up! Qiuse Parade, known as the best part of the events was held tonight and tomorrow night. As a classical part of Qiuse Parade, in addition to the traditional floats that symbolize peoples best wishes like “Foshan Rhythm”, designers also included the elements of “the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening up” and “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”. 43 exciting performances, 6 beautiful floats attracted lots of audience.

 

 

The main venue of the parade opening ceremony is located in the Ancestral Temple Memorial Gateway Square, and the route of the parade is 3.5 km. The tour route starts from the Ancestral Temple Memorial Gateway Square, along which there are five designated performance areas, namely Qionghua Grand Theater crossroad, Xuangong crossroad, Fusheng Building crossroad, Tiandi Road and Liangyuan Road crossroad and Baihua Square crossroad.

 

Audience were interacting with performers of Qiuse parade

Foshan News interviewed the audience

 

 

This years live exhibition of intangible cultural heritage invites intangible cultural heritage projects from nine provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, Hong Kong and Macao. It is the first time for the exhibition to introduceprojects outside Guangdong province.

 

 

From November 1st to 4th, 43 intangible cultural heritage projects will be unveiled in Foshan Lingnan Tiandi. Among them, Hunan printing and dyeing technology, Hainan coconut carving and Sichuan Chengdu lacquer art are state-level intangible cultural heritage projects. Don’t forget to have a look!

 

 

 

This year, the Autumn Festival and Rural Drinking Ceremony was still held with traditional rituals, inviting overseas friends, overseas Chinese, people from Hong Kong and Macao, and representatives from various sectors of the society to take part in the inheritance and dissemination of the blessing culture of the North Emperor at the Ancestral Temple.

 

Foreigners invited to watch the Autumn Festival 

 

 

The 2018 Foshan Qiuse Competition began in March and had lasted for nearly 8 months. It had organized 17 intangible cultural heritage projects with more than 600 students. The award-winning students brought their own paper-cut, embroidery and other vivid traditional works to form a "Qiuse Competition" team and appeared in the parade.

 

 

During the Intangible Cutural Heritage Week, excellent Qiuse Parade projects will be sent to the four districts in Foshan, including Nanhai, Shunde, Gaoming and Sanshui, so that the residents of Foshan five districts could share the joy of Qiuse.

 

(Eleanor & Gary)