May 19 marked the annual China Tourism Day. It was also the eighth day of the fourth lunar month this year. The 2021 Zhongshan Shaxi Cultural Tourism Carnival and the "Shaxi Lunar April 8th" Folk Parade kicked off in Shengshi Village, Shaxi Town on that day.

In the morning, teams of students from Shengshi Primary School, Shengshi Kindergarten and Shengshi Recreation and Sports Association bore banners, dragon flags, drums, flower baskets and waist drums and took the lead, followed by awe-inspiring golden and silver dragons, phoenixes and lions, marking the beginning of the provincial intangible cultural heritage project - "Shaxi Lunar April 8th" folk art parade, which has been carried on for more than 400 years. The event attracted many tourists from Zhongshan and surrounding cities.

Folk art performances such as the West District Drunken Dragon Dance, Sichuan Opera, Zhongshan Salty Water Songs, Shachong Ma's Family Spear and Shaxi Phoenix Dance were presented, bringing visitors a wonderful audio-visual feast.

The carnival will last for one month. In addition to the parade, there will be poetry and photography contests with the theme of "Yesterday's Longdu & Today's Shaxi", "Martial and Prosperous Shaxi" martial arts performance, the 2021 Shaxi Food Culture Week & Cantonese Cuisine Chef Project Cooking Invitational Tournament, and more.