The 2026 Po Wang Festival and Oil Tea Culture Week is underway in Guanyang County, a mountainous area in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, honoring Po Wang — the ancestral mother goddess deeply revered by the local Yao ethnic community. The multi-day event weaves folk customs, local cuisine and intangible cultural heritage into an immersive cultural experience for visitors from across the country.

A vibrant street procession winds through the county’s downtown, drawing crowds of onlookers along the route. It features Guiju opera performances, lion dances, lantern processions and diverse Yao folk dance routines, with performers in elaborate traditional costumes presenting the region’s distinctive cultural heritage. A 100-meter communal feast serves free local oil tea, a signature savory brew with centuries of history, where visitors queue up to sample the hearty local specialty. Evenings bring mass bonfire gatherings and spectacular fireworks displays.

The event spotlights local intangible cultural heritage from tea craftsmanship to bamboo weaving and pottery crafts. It breathes new life into age-old folk traditions, fosters local cultural pride, and draws tourists to boost local consumption and support rural revitalization.