Qiang New Year Festival

Qiang New Year is the oldest traditional festival of the Qiang people, rooted in ancient sky-god veneration practised for thousands of years, encoding the Qiang people's agricultural and pastoral wisdom.

During the festival, villagers dressed in traditional attire gather under the leadership of the shibi (Qiang shaman-priest) to offer sacrifices to sky and earth gods, then feast communally, drink suza wine and dance the Shalang through the night.

Qiang New Year was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009, reflecting concern for the Qiang community after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and has been central to cultural reconstruction efforts.