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04:44

The Wa people, one of the 56 ethnic groups in China, are celebrating their traditional festival of Monihei, which literally means "smear you black." They celebrate this festival by covering each other with muddy water as a way of wishing health and happiness in the future.

Ahead of the Spring Festival in 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a Wa ethnic village, Simola, which literally means "the land of happiness" in the local language, in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Together with the villagers, he wished for good things in the coming year by beating a wooden drum three times. At the house of Li Lianhuan, Xi helped make traditional rice cakes, a local specialty during the Spring Festival.

Four years on, the Li family's small courtyard is now bustling with business every day. Li, now 26, has just finished her postgraduate studies and is preparing for the civil service exam. The situation in the village has transformed since 2017, when the Li family were lifted out of poverty.

Xi has shown great interest in the lives of people from the ethnic minorities. Watch the video to find out more.