E Xian Ridge

E Xian Ridge

E Xian Ridge

The Birthplace of the March 3rd Festival — E Xian Ridge is located in Guangba Township, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, on the northeastern bank of the middle reaches of the Changhua River, 60 kilometers from the county seat, Basuo Town. In 1988, it was designated as a Hainan tourism scenic protection area by the People's Government of Hainan Province.

Dongfang City in Hainan is one of the main cities where the Li ethnic group resides. Every year on the third day of the third lunar month, the Li people in the county town and various townships hold the traditional March 3rd Festival. Visitors who happen to be touring Dongfang County at this time will surely experience the happiness and joy of the Li people, adding immense delight to their trip. Originally, the March 3rd Festival was a folk traditional event for unmarried Li youths to pursue love and happiness, and married individuals did not participate. But today, with the development of the times, the March 3rd Festival has become a grand gathering for the Li people to engage in cultural, recreational, and sports activities, with widespread participation from Li people of all ages, government officials, and members of other ethnic groups.

To celebrate the March 3rd Festival, the Li people in Hainan start preparing early in the year by buying new clothes, brewing mountain glutinous rice wine, and getting sticky rice ready for making sweet cakes. On the morning of the third day of the third lunar month, Li people of all ages dress up in festival attire. Young men and women dress strikingly and go in groups, dancing and singing along the way to the festival site. The square becomes lively with young men and women dancing the bamboo pole dance, deer dance, and firewood dance, among others. Later, some participate in antiphonal singing, while others join in playing the "Dingdong" (a traditional musical instrument). Some young people use the occasion to express their love for each other, laying the foundation for future marriages. The activities of March 3rd usually continue into the night, with bonfires lit in the square pushing the celebration to its climax. Dance choreographers from the Guangdong National Song and Dance Ensemble created the Li dance “March 3rd,” which was performed at the World Festival of Youth and Students and won a festival award. Since then, the March 3rd Festival of the Li people has gained fame worldwide. There are several claims about the origin of the March 3rd Festival, one of which states that it originated from E Xian Ridge in Dongfang County and is associated with a well-known local legend.

E Xian Ridge is also known as “E Niang’s Nine Peaks Mountain.” On the mountain lies E Xian Cave, unfathomably deep, with swirling waters and waves crashing against the cave cliffs.

Legend has it that long ago, a monstrous crow demon often emerged from this cave to harm the local Li people. One day, the crow demon captured a beautiful Li maiden named E Niang and took her into the cave. On the third day of the third lunar month that year, E Niang’s beloved A Gui came up the mountain armed with a dagger and bow to rescue her but was killed by the crow demon. Heartbroken, E Niang waited for the crow demon to fall asleep and then killed it, avenging A Gui and ridding the people of a great menace. Later, E Niang never married and would go to E Xian Cave every year on the third day of the third lunar month to sing the love songs she once sang with A Gui.

Later, the Li people of Hainan Island named the cave E Niang Cave in memory of E Niang. The mountain became known as E Niang’s Nine Peaks Mountain. Every year on the third day of the third lunar month, unmarried young Li men and women from the surrounding areas would dress up and gather at E Xian Ridge, singing love songs in search of their soulmates. This tradition gradually expanded and spread throughout the Li-inhabited regions of Hainan, becoming a grand traditional festival for the Li people.

Scenic Area Address: Near the Daguanba Reservoir area within Dongfang City, 60 kilometers from Basuo.