Spring Festival Cultural Week opened with a lively lion dance in Huoshan county, Anhui province, at 9 am on Feb 16. Various folk art performances attracted audiences and brought joy to the festival.

The cultural week will last from Feb 16 to 21. Besides the lion dance tour performed by the Zhufoan Town Mass Art Council and Xishan Farmer Art Council, local residents can enjoy riddles and Chinese opera. The Foziling Folk Art Troupe will also deliver a special performance during the week.

The silk string gong and drum music of Gubei town, Jinzhai county, is one of the oldest kinds of folk music in the Dabie Mountains of Anhui province. It spread from Jiangxi province to Gubei town over 400 years ago. Its music has survived intact and can be counted as a valuable historical and cultural heritage.

Gubei town has 15 villages, each of which possesses at least three gong and drum teams. Some of the villages have more than 30 performers, playing various kinds of instruments such as suonas, horns and Chinese cymbals. These teams offer voluntary performances for weddings, funerals and festivals.

The silk string gong and drum music has 25 periods of complex melodies. The simple music, embodying the rustic flavor of the Dabie Mountains, can be played on all kinds of occasions. It is rather popular with local residents. At present, the silk string gong and drum music of Tang village and Sima village have been listed as Anhui provincial cultural heritages.