Editor's note: Located in Southern China, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) covers the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions as well as nine Pearl River Delta (PRD) cities in Guangdong. It is one of the regions with high openness, strong economy and strategic importance in China, with a resident population of 86.62 million in 2022 and an estimated total economic output of over 13.6 trillion RMB in 2023. The GBA shares a common cultural heritage among the close relationships, similar customs, and complementary advantages. To share the stories of the GBA, GDToday launched the "My Home in GBA" series on February 26, 2024, highlighting the lives and stories of people living in the GBA.
Expats watch the Chinese dragon dance parade up close in celebration of the Lantern Festival in downtown Huizhou, Guangdong on February 24, 2024.
There is no better place to celebrate the Lantern Festival of the Year of the Dragon (or loong) than in Guangdong's Huizhou, the main venue of the renowned "Dancing with the Chinese Dragons" parade and home to a rich tapestry of cultural events.
A group of expats from the USA, Belgium, Cuba, and Venezuela, along with their families and friends, joined in the festivities in Huizhou on February 24. They first enjoyed a Chinese dragon dance parade in the downtown, which featured 18 dragon dance items, recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, from 12 provinces across China. Additionally, two dragon dance teams from Hong Kong and Macao, along with 31 intangible cultural heritage items from within Guangdong Province, added to the grandeur of the occasion.
Expats watch the Chinese dragon dance parade up close in celebration of the Lantern Festival in downtown Huizhou, Guangdong on February 24, 2024.
Then they explored and interacted with locals in a beautiful village called Xiayuan, where they immersed themselves in the history and traditions of the Lantern Festival by participating in a garden party, making the festival's signature food Tangyuan, and savoring a Hakka-style reunion dinner with local villagers.
Click on the special edition of "My Home in GBA" series to find out more about their unique cultural experience in Guangdong's Huizhou. Please stay tuned to GDToday for more stories.
Expats take part in festivities in celebration of the Lantern Festival with locals in Xiayuan Village in Huizhou, Guangdong on February 24, 2024.
Expats make Tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour, in celebration of the Lantern Festival with locals in Xiayuan Village in Huizhou, Guangdong on February 24, 2024.
Expats enjoy a Hakka-style reunion dinner with local people in celebration of the Lantern Festival in Xiayuan Village in Huizhou, Guangdong on February 24, 2024.
Chief planner: Huang Can
Chief supervisor: Chen Feng
Chief coordinator: Zhao Yang, Gu Yidan
Production manager: Ouyang Yan
Director: Zheng Huajun
Supervisor: Monica
Scenarist-director: Qin Shaolong, Zhang Zi'en
Host: Catherine
Reporter: Holly
Contact: Ariel
Filming: Chen Shengwei, Jian Haobin, Yu Zeyong, Wu Guojun
Post-production: Ning Qingshan, Tu Rongguang
Translation: Monica, Holly
Editor: Nan, Steven, James
