As the saying goes: “After Laba Festival comes New Year.” Are you also counting down the days to the Spring Festival? But for most urban dwellers, the New Year is just a long-awaited holiday. Aside from the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, it seems the old festive spirit has faded away?
Remember how, back in your childhood hometown, as soon as the lunar month of December arrived, the festive vibe would seep out from every corner, thickly filling the air. What is the festive spirit? To the Tujia people of western Hunan, it’s the sight of elders and the butcher slaughtering the New Year’s pig, and the lavish feast prepared by mothers; it’s the mellow corn wine served at the feast; it’s the bustling variety of New Year goods and snacks at the markets; it’s the traditional customs observed from December all the way to the Lantern Festival in January...
This is the ancient festival passed down through generations by the Tujia people — the Tujia New Year. Over centuries, the Tujia have developed their own unique customs, which have been preserved and passed down from generation to generation.
On May 23, 2011, the “Tujia New Year” was included in the third batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Intangible Heritage Tujia New Year: Celebrating Early in December, Reveling in January
The Yongshun County Annals record: “The biggest festival for the Tujia people in the county is the New Year. They celebrate it one day earlier than the Han people — on the 29th of December in a big month, and on the 28th in a small month.”
The Tujia New Year features a rich array of festive activities: preparing New Year meat, sending off the Kitchen God, sweeping away dust, making tofu, frying fried rice, deep-frying sesame twists, making glutinous rice cakes, preparing sugar dregs, posting Spring Festival couplets and paintings, slaughtering chickens and ducks, burning cypress and plum incense along with joss paper, celebrating the early New Year, having the reunion dinner, staying up on New Year’s Eve, grabbing the New Year, paying New Year calls... All kinds of vibrant Tujia traditions make the festive atmosphere truly lively.
The cultural and folk performances during the Tujia Spring Festival are even more diverse and splendid: rolling dragon lanterns, lion dances, painted boats, clam-shell lanterns, jumping the Hand-waving Dance, the Maogusi performance... Amidst deafening drums and a sea of people, where no one can hear each other speak, it is nonetheless the happiest time of the year.
Go to Furong Town · Hongshilin to celebrate the intangible heritage Tujia New Year!
This Spring Festival, don’t stay cooped up in a city lacking festive cheer. “Village Chief” Li Rui invites you to explore western Hunan and experience a lively and joyous Tujia New Year!
From January 26 to February 19, 2019 (Lunar Calendar: 21st of December to 15th of January), Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort will hold a grand “Tujia New Year” event, featuring New Year’s pig feasts, New Year goods markets, Tujia temple fairs, Furong lantern displays, intangible cultural heritage performances, and a series of Tujia New Year experience activities. With food, tours, entertainment, and fun all in one, visitors can deeply engage with Tujia New Year culture and intangible heritage customs while reigniting memories of traditional celebrations.
Eat – New Year’s Pig Reunion Feast, Savor the Flavor of the Festive Season
For the Tujia people, slaughtering the New Year’s pig is a way to give thanks for the blessings of the past year and to herald prosperity in the coming one. The lively atmosphere of pig-slaughtering is filled with joy, as the pork is turned into various delicious dishes, bringing family and friends together to chat over the year’s events.
With the modernization of cities, such lively folk customs like slaughtering the New Year’s pig are gradually fading. To evoke nostalgia and childhood memories, during the Tujia New Year, both Furong Town and Hongshilin will offer special New Year’s pig feasts, featuring authentic farm-raised pork dishes and distinctive western Hunan cured meats. Let the flavors of the Tujia New Year tantalize your taste buds and satisfy your longing for home!
Travel – Tujia Grand Temple Fair, Enjoy Festive Traditions to the Fullest
The Tujia people have the tradition of “going to the New Year Market,” where they go shopping for New Year goods just before the festival. It’s said that going to the big market also means “catching good fortune,” which stands for great luck. The Tujia New Year Market is not just about shopping, but also a way to preserve folk culture.
During the 25-day “Tujia New Year” period, the entire Furong Town and the wooden house market in Hongshilin will transform into a grand “Tujia Temple Fair Market,” featuring a wide range of products including Tujia clothing, local specialties, Tujia silver jewelry, handicrafts, and New Year snacks. A variety of New Year experience activities will take visitors on a cultural journey through the Tujia New Year customs spanning the Year of the Dog and the Year of the Pig!
Entertain – Intangible Cultural Heritage Party, Celebrate the New Year with Traditional Flair
Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort has long been a gathering place for the Tujia people. Whether it’s the stilted wooden houses, the five-mile-long street, the Hand-waving Hall, or the Tujia King’s Palace, every corner exudes the simple and rustic customs of the Tujia people.
In addition to celebrating the Tujia New Year, many intangible cultural heritage traditions of the Tujia people are still alive here: Tujia folk songs, Tima songs, Dongdongkui, Dalzi, the Hand-waving Dance, the Maogusi Dance... During the New Year, Furong Town and Hongshilin come alive with bonfire celebrations, non-stop singing and dancing, and continuous drumbeats. There will also be dragon and lion dances, Tima blessings, Tujia King parades, and lover song festivals — all kinds of “traditional flair” performances await your participation!
Celebrate – Furong Lantern Festival, Make Wishes with River Lanterns on Lantern Festival
The magnificent Furong Lantern Festival keeps the ancient town awake all night long. Throughout the Tujia New Year event, Furong Town will become a dazzling “heavenly palace,” with colorful, sparkling lanterns of all shapes letting visitors fully immerse themselves in the festive spirit.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, there will also be a thousand-person river lantern blessing activity, where hundreds of lanterns carrying wishes and prayers will light up Waterfall Bay and the You River. You can also enjoy lantern riddles and win prizes in Furong Town and Hongshilin. There’s even a bonfire Lantern Festival evening party, where you can sing and dance around the fire with locals, join in the Hand-waving celebrations, and welcome the new year together!
Share a reunion feast with your family, watch intangible heritage performances, and celebrate around the bonfire. Take your children to explore the Tujia temple fair and experience authentic Tujia New Year customs. Hold hands with your loved one as you stroll through the lantern displays, writing love vows on the river lanterns. Come to western Hunan this Spring Festival. Trace the roots of Tujia New Year traditions, rediscover the festive flavors of your memories, and rekindle the nostalgia in your heart... When you come, you’re coming home. The Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort “Tujia New Year” awaits your reunion!
Contact Information
Furong Town (Scenic Area Inquiry Hotline): 0743-5854531
Hongshilin National Geopark (Scenic Area Inquiry Hotline): 0743-4726888
Transportation Guide
Self-driving Tour · Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort
Changsha, Zhangjiajie ― Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort
Take the Chang-Zhang Expressway to Zhangjiajie, then transfer to the Zhang-Hua Expressway and exit at the East Toll Gate of Furong Town. Turn left and follow S229 to reach Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort.
Fenghuang ― Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort
Take the Baotou-Maoming Expressway to the Jishou Toll Gate, then follow S229 to reach Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort.
Jishou ― Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort
Follow S229 to reach Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort.
Chongqing ― Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort
Take the Baotou-Maoming Expressway to the Jishou Toll Gate, then follow S229 to reach Furong Town · Hongshilin Resort.