How a traditional festival became China's cultural bridge

Rituals revived

Several kilometers away, at the Lishizhen Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, augmented reality transforms visitors into virtual apprentices of moxibustion therapy.

"During the Dragon Boat Festival period, our cultural center is hosting a series of training sessions in music, dance, fine arts, calligraphy, body shaping, and modeling," museum curator Zhang Hongquan said.

"We also organized a cultural performance week for service promotion, featuring around 10 folk programs related to the festival, including traditional song and dance performances."

The museum has set up an Intangible Cultural Heritage Market and will host the Li Shizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Festival on June 26 and 27, featuring live demonstrations of moxibustion therapy, Zhang said.

To further enhance visitor engagement with the local culture, the museum has designed two special tour routes.

The first route begins at the memorial hall, where visitors can listen to narrations of the life story of Li Shizhen, the renowned 16th century pharmacologist, and explore exhibits showcasing traditional Chinese medicine culture documented in Li's Compendium of Materia Medica.

During the Dragon Boat Festival period, the itinerary extends to a specially curated Li Shizhen Cultural Tourism Zone, where guests can sample "medicinal cuisine" prepared according to seasonal health principles, Zhang said. At the Li Shizhen Herbal Wine Workshop tour participants can observe historical fermentation techniques in authentic cellars and taste artisanal medicinal liquors.

"Complementing this experience, the second route includes a visit to our handmade moxa stick production base," Zhang said. "Here, visitors actively participate in crafting moxibustion sticks using methods preserved for over five centuries, and guided by certified inheritors of this national intangible cultural heritage."

The cultural immersion culminates at the Qichun Moxibustion Demonstration Center, where master practitioners demonstrate certified therapeutic techniques while explaining their scientific foundations in Chinese medicine, he added.

Hu Yaojie, curator of the Li Shizhen Memorial Museum in Huanggang, Hubei, said: "Hanging mugwort in homes is a traditional custom observed by every household in our region during the Dragon Boat Festival. This year, the museum has specially set up a hands-on workshop where visitors can craft delicate sachets themselves.

"Additionally, the museum launched online livestreaming activities to share the festive atmosphere with virtual audiences. Viewers cannot only experience the unique charm of Dragon Boat Festival traditions in real time but also purchase themed cultural products with a click," he said.