Panwang Festival of Yao ethnic group honors legendary hero

On the 16th day of the 10th month in the traditional Chinese calendar, the Yao ethnic group gathers to honor their legendary ancestor Pan, through the grand Panwang Festival. This time-honored celebration has become one of the most significant events for Yao people, showcasing their vibrant traditions and rich heritage.

According to the Yao epic "Guoshanbang," Pan was a hero of extraordinary courage and wisdom. In a time of great peril, Pan devised a daring plan to defeat an enemy and protect his people. The king granted him the hand of the third princess in marriage. Pan and the princess retreated to the mountains, where they raised six sons and six daughters – the forebears of the Yao people.

Tragedy struck when Pan died during a hunting expedition, falling from a cliff after being rammed by a goat. His grieving children found his body beneath a tree and, in his memory, crafted a drum from the wood of the tree, using the goat's skin as the drumhead and covering it with yellow mud. As they beat the drum and danced, they created the earliest form of what we now know as Panwang Festival.

Over time, the festival has evolved from its original sacrificial rites into a celebration centered on music and dance, showcasing the essence of Yao culture. It has become a vivid showcase of the community’s diverse and colorful traditional art forms.

In 2006, Panwang Festival was listed among the first group of National Intangible Cultural Heritage items by the State Council, China's cabinet, cementing its importance as a treasure of the country's cultural legacy.