The Village Spring Festival Gala – a much-loved event celebrated throughout the nation – was promoted on Aug 24 by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee at a news conference.

The very first Village Spring Festival Gala takes place in Yueshan village. [Photo/WeChat account: ls-mnews]

The Village Spring Festival Gala started in Yueshan village – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – in 1981. After 40 years of development, the gala has spread all over the country, becoming a cultural symbol of China's rural areas.

In September 2016, with the promotion of the Ministry of Culture and the China Public Cultural Centers Association, an alliance for the Village Spring Festival Gala was established.

Lishui – along with Zhengzhou in Henan province, Wuping in Fujian province, Wenzhou in Zhejiang province and Chizhou in Anhui province – became the initiators of the alliance.

The 2022 National Village Spring Festival Gala warm up event is held in Shicang village, Lishui, on Jan 9. [Photo/WeChat account: ls-mnews]

Lishui has been promoting the inheritance, transformation and utilization of rural culture in recent years. Through the integration of rural life, rural tourism and the gala, it has formed a unique Village Spring Festival Gala brand.

Every year, more than 200,000 tourists come to Lishui to experience the Spring Festival in its rural areas.