Date: The 14th and 15th of the first lunar month; the 14th and 15th of the fourth lunar month; the seventh and eighth of the sixth lunar month and the 22nd and 23rd of the ninth lunar month
Place: Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province
Activities: Exhibitions of Tibetan, Tu and Mongolian butter flowers are held along with Buddhist activities such as displaying large Buddhist images under the sun.

Remark: On the 14th and 15th days of the first lunar month, the Yamataka, or Destruction of Death, dance will be performed and a large-scale exhibition of butter flowers is to be held.

On the 15th of the fourth lunar month, people perform the Yamataka dance and display images of the Buddha under the sun.

From the seventh to the eighth of the sixth lunar month, Yamataka dances are held and images of the Buddha are displayed under the sun, and Buddhist scriptures are recited.

On the 22nd and 23rd of the ninth lunar month-, people pay homage to Buddha and perform the Hayagriva, or the Horse Necked God and Dance to commemorate the death of Master Tsong kappa.

2. Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Date: January 5-February 5
Place: Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
Activities: In addition to the famous local and international ice lantern and snow sculpture exhibitions and contests, winter swimming, ice hockey and alpine and cross-country skiing contests are held. A film festival and painting, calligraphy and photo exhibitions are held. Moreover, there are performances of folk songs and dances and wedding ceremonies performed on ice. Trade fairs are also organized.

3. Striking Bells to Greet the New Year in Jingci Temple

Date: January 1st
Place: Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
Activities: When the New Year arrives, the bells are struck and local residents perform dragon and lion dances. Visitors may board magnificent boats decorated with colorful lanterns to tour the West Lake and enjoy beautiful music and scene.

4. Buddhist Assembly in the Labrang Lamasery in Xiahe

Date: There are seven assemblies annually. Among them the two from the 4th to the 17th of the first lunar month and from the 29th of the sixth lunar month to the 15th day of the seventh lunar month are the most famous one.
Place: Labrang Lamasery, Xiahe, Gansu Province
Activities: The Labrang Lamasery in Xiahe is one of the six major lamaseries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is the sire of the largest college of Lamaism in the world. Every year seven large Buddhist assemblies are held here.

During the assemblies, various Buddhist activities such as displaying images of the Buddha, performing religious dances-, chanting scriptures, praying, tests for monks, debates on scriptures and the month-long Tibetan Travel Festival are held.

5. Jilin Rime Festival

Date: The second 10-day period in January
Place: Jilin City, Jilin Province
Activities: A grand ice and colorful lantern show, ice and snow games, releasing lanterns on the river, fireworks display and a parade of colorful boats are held. Local people will perform the northeastern Yangge dance. The folk festivals of the Manchu and Korean people are celebrated. Exhibitions of delicious northeastern cuisine and trade fairs are also organized.

6. Beijing Longqing Gorge Ice and Snow Festival

Date: January 15-February 29
Place: Longqing Gorge in Yanqing County, Beijing
Activities: Displays of ice lanterns, fireworks on ice, performances and fishing and other ice sports are arranged. Tourists may participate in the ice and snow revelry festival and visit the Great Wall at Badaling and the Kangxi grasslands.

7. Spring Fireworks festival Dalian China

Date: 2nd of the 1st lunar year
Place: Xinghai Square, Dalian
Activities: Grand fireworks display, touring nationally famous Snacks Street and Crafts Street and trade.

8. Spring Festival Flower Fair

Date: The 28th to the 30th of the 12th lunar month
Place: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Activities: The Spring Flower Fair is held during the Spring Festival (the 1st day of the 1st Chinese lunar month), and is a traditional cultural activity unique to Guangzhou citizens.

During the festival, flower farmers deliver huge numbers of fresh flowers to Guangzhou and set up flower show along the city's major streets. People, old and young alike, visit the show to appreciate and purchase the blossoms.

9. Hainan International Coconut Festival

Date: The first 10-day period in April (the third day of the third lunar month)
Places: Haikou City, Wenchang County, Tongzha City and Sanya City in Hainan Province
Activities: The celebration of the lantern festival in Haikou, Coconut Street, Gala of the Miao and Li minorities, the international dragon boat race, national martial arts contests, performances, sports, Miao and Li wedding ceremonies, and ceremonies for offering sacrifices to ancestors.

10. The Lantern Festival in Zigong Sichuan

Date: From early February to early March
Place: Zigong City, Sichuan Province
Activities: The Lantern Festival in Zigong has a long history, dating back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. During the festival, outstanding samples of China's colorful traditional lanterns are shown. In addition, 'dragons' made of porcelain dinner sets, 'peacocks' made of glass bottles, and bamboo, silk and paper lanterns will also be on display, integrating beautiful shapes, bright colors light, movement and sound and displaying a high degree of workmanship. Tourists can feast their eyes on more than 100 collections of large lanterns as well as several thousand artistic lanterns. During the festival, various commodity exhibitions and trade fairs are held.

11. The Qinghai Double-Six Folk Song Fair

Date: From July 3-9 (the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the sixth day of the sixth lunar month and the 15th day of the seventh lunar month)
Place: Xining, Qinghai Province
Activities: Tens of thousands of singers and participants from the Hui, Dongxiang and Bao'an ethnic groups still come to Lotus Hill to sing folk songs. Many other activities such as touring the mountains singing in the ethnic style, drinking, village theatrical performances and commodity fairs will also be held.

12. The Water-Splashing Festival of the Dai in Yunnan

Date: April 13-15
Place: Jinghong City in the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province
Activities: Dragon boat races, fireworks, foot-drum dance, peacock dance, visiting parks and fairs and sprinkling water (symbolizing auspicious).

13. Boat Festival in Qintong Town, Yangzhou

Date: April 4-6
Places: Qintong Town, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Activities: A festival with a local flavor, besides boat races, farmers perform operas and lion and dragon dances on boats gathered together from surrounding towns and townships.

14. Chang'an Annual lnternational Calligraphy Meeting

Date: April 20-26
Place: Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
Activities: A large inauguration ceremony will be held. Inscriptions will be written on a 100-meter-long scroll. The Chinese and foreign calligraphers' associations will issue annual meeting certificates, and the four treasures of the study (writing brush, ink, ink stone and paper) will be on display. Tourists may visit and appreciate the calligraphy masterpieces engraved on stone tablets at the Forest of Steles, Jiucheng and Shimen.

15. Luoyang Peony Fair

Date: April 15-25
Places: Luoyang City, Henan Province
Activities: Luoyang began the cultivation of the peony 1,400 years ago, and over 350 varieties are grown there today. During the fair, the city blooms with the beautiful flowers, which give out a faint scent. During the fair, large performances are given. Visitors may view flowers, visit exhibitions of lanterns, paintings, calligraghy and photographs, take part in symposiums and business talks. Tourists may visit the renowned Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple and ancient tombs.

16. Guangxi International Folk Song Festival

Date: The last 10-day period in April (the third day of the third lunar month)
Place: Nanning City or Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Activities: A Chinese folk song competition is held, with performances by Chinese and foreign folk singers, multi-ethnic gatherings are organized and visitors may also attend trade fairs and participate in various local tours.

17. Weifang International Kite Festival

Date: April 20-25
Place: Weifang City, Shandong Province
Activities: Weifang is known as the 'World Kite Capital'. The head office of the International Kite Federation is located at the Weifang Kite Museum. During the festival, an inauguration ceremony, kite flying ceremony and international and domestic kite contests are held, where the 10 best kites are selected. Tourists may visit the Kite Museum, enjoy Yangjiabu folk art performances, go shopping and stay at farmers' homes and have the meals and fun together with them in the Shijiazhuang Folk Custom Tourist Village.

18. Fujian Mazu Festival

Date: April 25, October 4
Place: Meizhou Island, Putian, Fujian Province
Activities: Mazu is the name of a legendary sea goddess born in 960. Tradition has it that Mazu protects boats and saves people from drowning in the sea. The 23rd day of the third lunar month is celebrated as her birthday; the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the day when Mazu supposedly passed away. On these two days every year, thousands of local residents and compatriots from Taiwan come to pay homage to Mazu. During the festival, visitors join in the activities to pay respect to Mazu take part in the study of Mazu culture, go shopping at arts and crafts exhibitions, enjoy folk songs and dances and taste Fujian cuisine.

19. Dalian Chinese Scholartree Blossom Affairs

Date: The last 10-day period of May
Place: Dalian, Liaoning Province
Activities: Tourists may appreciate Chinese locust flowers, watch folk performances, and participate in cultural and sports activities and various special tourist activities.

20. Guizhou Azalea Festival

Date: April 8-22
Places: Qianxi and Dafang counties, Guizhou Province
Activities: In addition to the opening ceremony, tourists may watch performances by the Yi, Miao and Buyi minorities, participate in the Bonfire Revelry Festival and have a taste of their local delicacies and visit the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall, one of the largest in China and the scenic Zhijin Caves.

21. Yueyang International Dragon Boat Festival

Date: June 10-14
Place: South Lake in Yueyang, Hunan Province
Activities: The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, in commemoration of Qu Yuan, a great poet of ancient times. During the festival, people throughout the country hold dragon boat races, eat Zongzi (a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves), drink realgar wines and hang up Artemisia argyi in the doorway. Over 20 teams from the United States, Canada, Australia and countries throughout South East Asia and other parts of the world participate in dragon boat races. Dragon boat folk performances are shown as well.

22. Mt. Wutai International Tourist Month

Date: July 25-August 25
Place: Taihua Town, Wutai County, Shanxi Province
Activities: Mt. Wutai is one of four famous Buddhist mountains in China. In the sixth lunar month every year, a mule and horse fair is held here. During the festival, there are Buddhist activities, folk recreational activities and mule and horse exchange fairs.