* A growing wave of visitors has been drawn to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the Sanyuesan Festival.

* The regional festival has blossomed into a tourism event with a wider reach.

* Experts say its popularity offers a glimpse into the country's evolving tourism sector, which is placing greater focus on culture and experience.

NANNING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- At the foot of a roaring waterfall in Jingxi, a mountainous county-level city mostly populated by the Zhuang ethnic group, Zheng Feiyu stood with a microphone in hand, singing into the drifting mist.

"I never imagined I could actually perform in scenes I had only seen in old movies," said the 28-year-old traveler from Chengdu, recalling the classic 1960s musical Liu Sanjie, which features a legendary Zhuang folk singer.

Zheng is among a growing wave of visitors drawn to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the Sanyuesan Festival, also known as the Double Third Festival, with related celebrations running from April 18 to May 24 this year.

Students perform a bamboo-stick dance at an event celebrating the Sanyuesan Festival in Wuzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

The festival is a major celebration across many ethnic regions of southern China, particularly in Guangxi, where it is often regarded as a local "Valentine's Day." It is a time for local young men and women to sing folk songs in a call-and-response style and toss embroidered silk balls as tokens of affection.

Recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage and designated as a statutory holiday in Guangxi in 2014, the festival ushers in more than 1,000 themed activities this year. Travelers can join bamboo-stick dances, try making five-color glutinous rice, or immerse themselves in other traditional activities.

In recent years, the regional festival has blossomed into a tourism event with wider influence, thanks to surging interest in local ethnic cultures and efforts to reinvent traditional practices for the young generation.

Data from major travel platforms highlight the festival's surge in popularity. Meituan Travel reported a 361-percent year-on-year increase in bookings for cultural and tourism activities in Guangxi between April 17 and 23, with those born after 1995 accounting for 53 percent of the total.

Searches for "Sanyuesan cuisines" rose 151 percent, while those for ethnic attire increased nearly fivefold.

Locals and overseas visitors sing folk songs in a call-and-response style at Huangluo Village of Longsheng County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 19, 2026. (Photo by Wei Jiyang/Xinhua)

ALLURE OF CULTURE

This year, many Chinese cities introduced school spring breaks, helping fuel domestic travel.

"We are catering to a national appetite for springtime travel," said Liu Rihong, a local performer who has been receiving a growing number of visitors.

Local communities have developed tourism offerings combining homestays, farm-to-table meals, and specialty products such as five-color glutinous rice, handwoven brocade and tea.

Along a tributary of the Lijiang River in Yangshuo, clusters of tents for tourists line the banks. In the tents, people learn to brew local-style oil tea over portable stoves while quietly enjoying the beautiful scenery.

In Liuzhou's Yaobu ancient town, traditional teahouses are packed with tourists enjoying live song performances.

For Yu Qiaoming, who runs a guesthouse near a waterfall, the influx of travelers has been a lifeline during a largely off-season period at this tourist spot. "Every room is booked," said Yu.

Actors perform at an event celebrating the Sanyuesan Festival in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 19, 2026. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

"EXPERIENCE ECONOMY"

Experts say the popularity of this cultural festival offers a glimpse into the country's evolving tourism sector that is placing greater focus on culture and experience.

"Tourism is essentially an experience economy," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. "Travelers are no longer satisfied with a bed, a view and a ticket. They seek emotional values like connection, joy and a sense of belonging."

"I didn't just want a travel photo at Instagrammable spots. I wanted it all -- the silver headdress, the five-color rice, the feeling of stepping into a living tradition," said Jiang Jiayi, a 27-year-old media consultant from Shanghai.

To attract visitors, Guangxi has rolled out a range of incentives, including vouchers for shopping, dining and accommodation, and a "ticket-stub policy" that allows visitors to use stubs from concerts, festivals, flights and trains to access discounts on scenic spots, dining and accommodation.

People watch a bamboo-stick dance at an event celebrating the Sanyuesan Festival in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 19, 2026. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

Guangxi is not alone in this effort. Across China, authorities are tapping local cultural traditions to draw visitors and boost local economies, from the "parade of the gods" folk tradition in Fujian Province to water-splashing celebrations in Yunnan Province.

The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) calls for further efforts to shape tourism through culture and highlight culture through tourism, and to build China into a leading country in tourism.

Tourism continued to show vitality in 2025, with domestic trips rising by 16.2 percent. A blue book by the China Tourism Academy estimated further growth of 6 percent in 2026, reaching nearly 7 billion.

The challenge facing Guangxi is whether this surge can translate into year-round vitality. Efforts are underway to embed festival culture into everyday life, from Zhuang brocade in fashion and dining to the expansion of industries such as luosifen noodles.

"The key is turning culture into a lasting asset rather than a one-time event," Dai said. "This is what keeps spending momentum going long after the music stops."