Actors perform traditional songs and dances at the opening scene of the 2023 Tanmen Beachcombing Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The 2023 Tanmen Beachcombing Festival kicked off on Tuesday morning in Qionghai, Hainan province.
Themed "Tanmen: Venturing the high seas since time immemorial", the event includes a marine culture forum, a sea sacrifice ceremony (a traditional ritual to pray for a good harvest), a seafood and cultural market, a beach music festival, fishing sports games, an art corner activity, movie screenings on the beach, a treasure hunt competition and other marine-related activities.
The beachcombing festival has been held since 2015. Tanmen has long been recognized as an important part of Hainan's fishing industry. It has a thousand-year history of beachcombing, which originated with residents scouring for fish, shrimp and shellfish at low tide.
Guests participate in the launch of the 2023 Tanmen Beachcombing Festival on Tuesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
This year's event presents local agricultural products, seafood and tourism products through livestreaming. It aims to boost the development of tourism in Qionghai.
"We hope that visitors coming to the festival will feel the cultural charm of the Beachcombing Festival, taste Tanmen specialties, experience leisure fishing activities, stay in local lodges and purchase some local products," said Liu Li from the Tanmen township government.
Visitors sit on a traditional Tanmen fishing boat. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"I enjoy the singing and dancing performances, the seafood and the lodging here. I learned about the culture of beachcombing, which cannot be found in my country," said Rafi, a tourist from Tanzania.
"I also saw many creative Hainan products, such as coconut carvings. There are also ecological science activities in the South China Sea, and I learned about more than 40 kinds of shellfish, which was very interesting."
Visitors from home and abroad visit the Tanmen beachcombing cultural market. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Overview
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