Source: CCTV.com

03-24-2009 09:01

Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been open to the outside world since 1999, when the first group of tourists entered the region. Ten years on, locals have put the emphasis on showcasing local art and culture rather than merely sightseeing.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors throng to the village every March, to see the well preserved Tibetan-style houses and blossoming pear flowers.

Jiaju Village in Danba County was one of the earliest tourism sites to open in Ganzi. It was named the "most beautiful village in China" by "National Geographic" magazine. Hundreds of thousands of visitors throng to the village every March, to see the well preserved Tibetan-style houses and blossoming pear flowers. And this spring, they're treated to a new item, an authentic Tibetan dance.

A tourist from Hong Kong said, "We were due to leave this morning. But since we've arrived, we decided to stay longer."

The dance depicts the distinctive culture and folk customs of local Tibetan people, who are called Gyalrong Tibetans.

The dance depicts the distinctive culture and folk customs of local Tibetan people, who are called Gyalrong Tibetans.

It is Zhawacuo who invited the performers to the village. She runs the first and largest bed-and-breakfast in the village. With the support of the local tourism bureau, she turned her home into a small hotel with 30 beds.

In the past ten years, she's welcomed 70 thousand travellers from around the world. Now she wants to expand her homestay services to include culture and art.

Zhawacog said, "In the past I was happy as long as I got money from my homestay service. Now I've realized that the most important thing is to spread the traditional culture of our Tibetan people to the whole world. "

Some of the customs presented in the dance are expected to be include on the list of national intangible culture heritage. The application is currently being reviewed.

Editor:Zhao Yanchen