Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiuzhaigou: Unleash Passion and Vitality with Joyful Music and Cuisine
Everyone who has been to Jiuzhaigou has a different beautiful description. Some say Jiuzhaigou is like a lively child, with sunshine and rain alternating. Some say Jiuzhaigou is actually a mysterious blind box, full of surprises. Others describe Jiuzhaigou as a beautiful girl, gentle and tender as water, warm and smooth as jade. But in my eyes, Jiuzhaigou is a fairyland-like existence, a paradise in a poetic ink painting.
Summer has quietly passed, leaving secrets that will bring surprises in the golden autumn of September. The summer of 2021 seemed exceptionally scorching; turning off the air conditioner, the refreshing nature becomes even more alluring.
If we talk about traveling to Aba Jiuzhaigou in autumn, encountering the most beautiful and colorful fairyland on earth, no one would refuse! Jiuzhaigou, as a World Natural Heritage site, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and a national geological park, is not only China's first nature reserve primarily focused on protecting natural landscapes but also a "fairy tale world" inadvertently sketched by God after knocking over a palette.
Jiuzhaigou has weather from sunny to rainy to snowy, teaching you to "admire water on sunny days, mountains on rainy days, and clouds and mist on mixed days." Jiuzhaigou has seasonal landscapes: colorful forests in five hues, snowy white mountains, clear lakes, rushing waters, and distinctively styled Tibetan villages, all interwoven to form a vibrant painting.
And this Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiuzhaigou will respond to national policies to promote the integration of cultural and tourism development, exploring innovative practices. A unique "Pure Land Aba Jiuzhaigou World Travelers Conference" is about to kick off, using culture and music for diverse collisions, making cultural and tourism integration a new label for Jiuzhaigou!
This Jiuzhaigou World Travelers Conference will blend various forms and content such as music festivals, forums, cuisine, and art, meeting different travel needs. During this rare holiday, immerse in nature, encounter the most beautiful full moon and starry sky, feel the profound history and humanistic customs, and freely release your inner passion and vitality with joyful music.
Cross-border forums, following heavyweight guest actors, listen to the true stories of the Red Army's Long March. Aba retains many traces of the red journey. With the thick history of the past, now the cultural confidence of the Chinese people is increasing day by day, and as the national trend culture prevails, what new possibilities will travel have? And in this most "ideal world" place, naturally, we must also talk about self-exploration and lifestyle. As for how to integrate travel with humanities, arts, and modern entertainment, the setting of the conference itself may provide the answer.
Laolang, Tong Yang, Mu Ma, Fangdong de Mao, along with Shengfan, Zhihuobang SFG, and C.J. Zhoumi, from rock, folk, to rap, electronic, indie, pop — the World Travelers Conference cannot be without music as the protagonist. This music festival, gathering top musicians of various styles from China, perfectly interprets the "new collision" discussed at the conference. Not only that, but the unique flavor of Jiuzhaigou itself cannot be missed: the Jiuzhaigou (Ethnic) Stage and MTA presents Shanshen Stage allow music to merge into Jiuzhaigou and let Jiuzhaigou be immersed in melodies. No matter what type you love, the live scene will not disappoint you.
With chats and singing, naturally there must also be eating and drinking. Arriving in the land of Sichuan cuisine, how can one not satisfy the palate? At the food market, a grand feast of Jiuzhaigou cuisine combines the spicy flavor of Sichuan dishes with the unique taste of Tibetan areas: yak meat, potato cake, roast whole lamb, and more, everything available, definitely satisfying even the pickiest taste buds.
Like the smoky atmosphere of hotpot? Check out Jiuzhaigou's unique Tibetan hotpot? Tibetan hotpot uses local highland fresh yak meat, yak meatballs, processed dried yak meat, and is prepared with various seasonal local vegetables. Sitting around the table with a few friends, with wind and mist, eating hotpot and singing, while enjoying the scenery — a carefree life, nothing more than this!
Tibetan roast whole lamb is also a dish with unique local Jiuzhaigou style. To deeply experience Tibetan customs, how can you not have a big piece of meat? The whole lamb is skewered over a bonfire and continuously turned, sprinkled with condiments like cumin, chili, and salt to enhance the meat's aroma. Who can resist the sizzling roast whole lamb? (Since roast whole lamb is quite large, it is suitable for about a dozen people to share; if the group is small, roasted lamb leg or lamb chops are recommended.)
Want some novel food?
Blood sausage is made from casing, blood, spices, and yak meat (or pork), nutritious and delicious. When eaten, it doesn't crumble, leave residue, or peel, and is fragrant, soft, not greasy, and not dry.
Potato cake (Yangyu Ciba) is a dish made primarily from potatoes, delicious and nutritious.
Milk residue buns use milk residue as filling. From fresh yak milk, the most precious and essential product is butter, followed by milk residue. Fresh milk residue is sour and white, used as filling, hence the name milk residue buns.
Butter tea, as a daily essential beverage for Tibetan people and a necessity in the Tibetan Plateau, can dispel cold, remove greasiness, satisfy hunger, relieve fatigue, and refresh the mind. Take a sip; the tea aroma is strong, the milk scent wafts to the nose, with a special mellow aftertaste.
As someone who has tasted the finest meats worldwide, how can you go to Jiuzhaigou without trying the special yak meat? Local people take highland yaks from the Jiuzhaigou area, brine them, slice thinly, and mix with chili. The meat is fragrant with a bit of gamey taste, soft and delicious, suitable for all ages.
Hand-grabbed yak meat: Yaks are rare semi-wild and semi-primitive animals living on the roof of the world in high-altitude, pollution-free environments. They are known as one of the "three major high-cold animals" alongside polar bears and Antarctic penguins. Yaks are free from labor all their lives, following a semi-wild grazing lifestyle of moving with water and grass, and growing naturally. They consume a large amount of precious Chinese medicinal herbs like cordyceps and fritillaria, making yak meat tender and delicious.
A bit like southern small buns, but the dough is chewy, with beef or lamb filling, slightly soupy inside, very fragrant when dipped in chili sauce.
After seeing the scenery, eating and drinking to your fill, hidden in the food is the most simple humanistic charm of this land. As a multi-ethnic settlement, due to its special geographical location and rich history and culture, Jiuzhaigou County has been awarded multiple honorary titles such as "Hometown of Folk Art and Culture in Sichuan Province" and is known as "Hometown of Folk Songs, Hometown of Pipa, and Hometown of Love Songs."
The county possesses 90 intangible cultural heritage items, including 4 national-level, 4 provincial-level, 31 prefecture-level, and 51 county-level intangible cultural heritages. The music and humanities of Aba Jiuzhaigou are worth exploring carefully.
The Zhou Dance, also known as "Guozhuang" or "Twelve Animal Masks," is a unique ritual dance of the Baima Tibetans in Jiuzhaigou County. It was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. Its movements are simple, dignified, elegant, and solemn, originating from the ancient times of "animism" and "all beasts dancing." Every year from the third day to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhou dancers wear animal mask headgear and dragon and cloud patterned costumes, following the rhythm of long horns and drums, stepping lively to pray at the village square for national peace, favorable weather, and abundant harvests; at home, they seek to drive away illness and evil spirits, bring peace to the home, and ensure prosperity.
Nanping Quzi is a folk art of self-accompanied singing popular among the Han (including a few Hui and Baima Tibetan) people in Jiuzhaigou County (formerly Nanping County) in the northwestern Sichuan plateau. It was formerly called "Nanping Pipa Singing." It became popular during the Yongzheng and Jiaqing periods of the Qing Dynasty due to the migration of people from Shaanxi and Gansu.
It is a folk tune performed during festive occasions, especially the Spring Festival. It is also a traditional folk art of Jiuzhaigou County, known for its lyrical and beautiful style. From a sociocultural perspective, it has a certain cultural layer and circle, forming the most characteristic local folk cultural group activity form in northwestern Sichuan.
It is a self-entertaining performance by local people, especially popular in rural areas. It is performed in local dialect, and the lyrics have their own characteristics. The language is simple; aside from a few fixed scripts, most are oral literature circulating among the people.
As people say: "Jiuzhaigou County is a world of singing to the pipa, an ocean of singing."
The Fire Ring Dance, also called Eisilao, is a self-entertaining group dance of the Baima Tibetans, popular in the areas of Wujiao, Caodi, and Majia townships. The Baima Tibetans are skilled in singing and dancing, with cheerful personalities. Over the years, due to geographical conditions, they have formed a unique folk culture.
Every year in the first lunar month, the Baima Tibetans light bonfires and joyfully dance the Fire Ring Dance. The "Auspicious God" and the "Happy God" come to bless the people. They drink, sing, and dance, celebrating abundant harvests and thriving livestock. The dance, with its warm, simple, and vigorous performance, showcases the Baima people's deep love for life.
The Tumo Festival, on the 17th day of the first lunar month each year, is a festival popular among the Baima Tibetan villages in Jiuzhaigou County where people smear each other with soot from pots — the Tumo Festival, a carnival for the Baima Tibetans. Those smeared with soot are blessed by the "Auspicious God" for safety and health.
On the 17th day of the first lunar month, men, women, and children hold soot in their hands, chase each other relentlessly, and freely smear it on each other's faces. The more soot, the better. The soot on the face is only washed off before sleeping. If you are smeared with soot by a Baima Tibetan, it proves you are the most respected person among them.
Don't waste this Mid-Autumn Festival! Come to the fairyland Jiuzhaigou for a romantic musical healing. Cross-border forums, music festivals, food festivals, and art exhibitions await to broaden your five-sense experience. The Travelers Conference welcomes you back from the city to nature. Bridge boundaries with music and enjoy a new cultural tourism experience.
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1. Panda Homeland · Pure Land Aba · Jiuzhaigou World Travelers Conference
Time: September 19-21, 2021
Location: Jiuzhaigou Longkang Village Hongshitoushan Sightseeing Bus Parking Lot
2. Travelers Conference Cross-border Forum
Time: September 20, 2021, 10:00-17:50
Location: Jiuzhaigou Tianyuan Howard Johnson Resort Hotel
3. Tickets: 919 full price 260 yuan/person, student single-day 100 yuan/person;
920-21 single-day 450 yuan/person, student single-day 280 yuan/person;
4. Early bird presale: 919 presale single-day 180 yuan/person, double presale single-day 299 yuan/2 persons;
920-921 presale single-day 280 yuan/person, double presale single-day 699 yuan/2 persons;
919-921 presale 3-day pass 799 yuan/person.
5. Autumn has large temperature differences between day and night; mornings and evenings are a bit cool, please bring a thick jacket.
6. Local UV is strong, please pay attention to sun protection; sunglasses and sun hats are essential.
6. The altitude of Aba Jiuzhaigou County is about 1400 meters, so there will be no altitude sickness. Only the highest point within the scenic area can reach 3000 meters; if visiting, please walk slowly and be cautious.
