Dance performance is staged during the festival in Guchengying village, Oct 17. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A senior cultural and art festival themed around Chongyang Festival was held in Guchengying village, Jinyuan district, Taiyuan, on Oct 17.

Built on the site of Jinyang Ancient City whose history dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), Guchengying village boosts a long history and rich folk custom and culture with Xingyi Boxing or Form-Intention Boxing, a traditional Chinese form of internal boxing, popular among more than 10,000 locals, especially those over 60 years old.

Various performances and events, such as yangko (a popular folk dance), gong and drum, singing, and martial arts, were staged during the festival and a way of giving festival greetings to some 1,000 senior residents in the village.

Chongyang Festival or Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar each year, which came on Oct 17 this year. It was designated as the day of the elderly in 1989 and promotes respect for the aged in modern China.