The Bouyei Water Dragon Festival is a traditional folk celebration of the Bouyei ethnic group in Pingtang County, southwest China. The 11th edition of the festival recently opened in grand fashion. Nine water dragons, woven from thorny bamboo and Chinese alpine rush, paraded through the streets. Wherever they went, locals and tourists followed the dragons, splashing water with water guns, basins, and ladles to pray for good fortune. Cheers and joyful laughter filled the air, turning the streets into a sea of celebration.

This year's Pingtang Bouyei Water Dragon Festival has been elevated into a large-scale, cross-regional ethnic folk culture gala. Performance troupes representing multiple ethnic groups and regions took the stage together. A specially designed astronaut formation inspired by China's "Sky Eye" also made a striking appearance in the parade, incorporating elements of space technology into the traditional celebration and highlighting the fusion of heritage and innovation.

The revitalized intangible cultural heritage has continued to attract visitors, fueling a boom in cultural tourism. Official figures show that more than 100,000 visitors and local residents took part in the festival's opening-day celebrations. The county's tourism accommodation sector has also seen strong demand, with bookings steadily increasing at hotels and homestays of all sizes.