The annual folk "feast" of the Guanyao Lettuce Festival was held in Shishan Town, Nanhai District, Foshan, on February 23, the 26th day of the first lunar month.
The Guanyao Lettuce Festival kicks off in Shishan Town, Nanhai District, Foshan, on February 23, 2025.
At 8 a.m., accompanied by the powerful sound of gongs and drums, 12 lion dance teams from the Nanhai Lion Troupe began their procession at the Fengshan Ancient Temple. The lions leapt, tumbled, and performed agile movements with fierce expressions, drawing applause from the crowd. Activities like the lion dance, folk performances, and dragon-lion shows attracted numerous residents and tourists who stopped to watch.
The main event, the grand Lettuce Feast for thousands, was held at the main venue of the Guanyao Lettuce Festival. A thousand tables were set at noon and in the evening, inviting residents, tourists, and villagers from both home and abroad to gather, share the lettuce feast, and rekindle their friendships.
The site of the Guanyao Lettuce Festival.
Lettuce (生菜), as the Chinese Pinin "sheng cai", resembles the words for "generating wealth" (生财) in Chinese. The first thing at the lettuce banquet was to eat the "lettuce wrap." Local residents filled the lettuce wraps with pickled cabbage, vermicelli, and more. These small lettuce wraps symbolize people's hopes for a better life. Lettuce symbolizes "wealth," and vermicelli symbolizes "longevity."
The Guanyao Lettuce Festival originated in the Ming Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and reached its peak during the period of the Republic of China. It's well-known across the Pearl River Delta. Every year, on the 26th day of the first lunar month, people gather at the Fengshan Ancient Temple (formerly known as Baiyi Guanyin Temple) to worship Guanyin, eat lettuce wraps, and pray for prosperity and good fortune. Over time, the "temple fair" gradually evolved into the "lettuce festival," with activities such as opera performances, catching snails and clams, and competing for firecrackers.
The lion dance teams parade down the street.
After four hundred years of development, the "Guanyao Lettuce Festival" has become a cultural bridge that connects people and serves as a platform for exchanging economic information. "I specifically flew from Malaysia to attend the Lettuce Festival," said Liu Weizhu, President of the Nanhai Association of Perak, Malaysia. "The lettuce banquet was fantastic! This is my first time attending such a grand folk event, and I plan to return every year from now on."
Reporter | Liu Jialun
Photo | Publicity Department of Shishan Town
Editor | Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He
