Liangshan Yi Torch Festival celebrates unique Yi culture

The annual Liangshan Yi Torch Festival kicked off on Friday night in Xichang, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, drawing tens of thousands of Yi ethnic people and tourists from around the country.

The opening ceremony featured a series of traditional Yi ethnic song-and-dance performances and intangible cultural heritage displays, showcasing the Yi people's reverence for fire and highlighting the charm of their unique culture.

On the Hangtian Avenue in Xichang, 88 bonfires scattered over 4.8 kilometers were lit to celebrate the grand festival. Some 1,000 Yi people dressed in traditional costumes joined hands with tourists, dancing to Yi folk songs around the bonfires.

Liangshan is home to majority of China's Yi people, who consider fire as the symbol of their culture. The Torch Festival, which usually falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, is the biggest folk event of the Yi ethnic group.