In Feima Village, Aotou Town, Maonan District, Maoming City, Guangdong Province, an annual grand event integrating martial arts and folk customs, known as the "Kung Fu Nianli (功夫年例) Festival," is becoming a cultural business card for rural revitalization, giving new vitality to traditional intangible cultural heritage.
Every late February, Feima Village hosts a four-day celebration. More than 50 natural villages in the area come together to showcase martial arts, dragon dancing, and lion dancing. The most breathtaking performance is the "Lion Crossing Over the Mountain," where 25 vibrant lions leap and tumble on wooden tables 5 meters high, culminating in a triumphant peak climb to pluck the greenery, eliciting thunderous applause from the audience.
As a "National Martial Arts Hometown," Feima Village is home to men and women of all ages who are skilled in martial arts. Veterans and children perform on the same stage, displaying powerful boxing techniques and wielding swords, spears, and staffs with vigor. Particularly eye-catching is the "Red Makeup Formation," where women returning to their hometowns, dressed in traditional attire, guide tourists to understand the Nianli Festival culture and promote local agricultural products, transforming ancient customs into a classroom for rural revitalization.
The Feima Nianli Festival once faced a crisis of inheritance. To address this, villagers changed the festival date from the 15th to the 28th day of the first lunar month. This not only facilitates family reunions but also makes the Nianli Festival a cultural symbol of community cohesion. In early 2025, the Feima Nianli Festival was selected as one of the "Top Ten Maoming Folklore Nianli Festivals." Zheng Zu, the inheritor of Feima martial arts intangible cultural heritage, said that he will innovate the forms to attract young people and ensure the continuous inheritance of the century-old martial arts.
Author | Yan Zhixiong
Photo | Shen Yusen
Editor | Wei Shen, James, Shen He
