Chaoshan News
2026 Spring Festival Chaoyang Yingge Carnival Kicks Off with Enthusiasm, Immersive Experience for Domestic and International Tourists
2026-02-21 Chaoshan Travel Guide
Warm Tips
The event is held at Wenguang Tower Square in Chaoyang, Shantou. Visitors are advised to plan their itinerary in advance and pay attention to on-site order. During the festival, crowds are dense; please take care of safety, sun protection, and warmth.
#Chaoyang Yingge#Chaoshan Tourism#Shantou Attractions#Intangible Cultural Heritage#Spring Festival Events
"Yingge dance is not only a cultural symbol of Chaoyang, but through innovation and inheritance, it lets the world see the charm of Chaoshan's intangible cultural heritage."
On February 21, the fifth day of the first lunar month, the 2026 Spring Festival Chaoyang Yingge Carnival was held at Wenguang Tower Square in Chaoyang, Shantou, with 20 Yingge teams from Malaysia and local areas performing in turns. The event attracted domestic and international tourists to experience the unique charm of Yingge dance and Chaoshan culture up close.
Key highlights
- 20 Yingge teams performed in turns, with Malaysian and local teams exchanging and interacting
- Yingge dance combines drama, dance, and martial arts, a national intangible cultural heritage protection project
- Painted faces, twirling double mallets, bold and vigorous performance
- Robot Yingge dance, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and Chaoshan creative projects presented innovatively
- Event attracts domestic and international tourists, enhancing Shantou Chaoyang's international cultural influence
On February 21, 2026, the fifth day of the first lunar month, the annual Spring Festival cultural event—"Chaoyang Yingge Dance·Dancing Across the Five Continents" 2026 Spring Festival Chaoyang Yingge Carnival—was held at Wenguang Tower Square in Chaoyang, Shantou, Guangdong. The event was lively, with domestic and international tourists watching up close and immersing themselves in the unique charm of Yingge dance and Chaoshan culture.
Yingge dance combines drama, dance, and martial arts. In 2006, it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. Male Yingge often portrays heroes from "Water Margin," while female Yingge commonly features themes like Mu Guiying taking command and Hua Mulan joining the army. This event featured 20 Yingge teams from Malaysia and local areas performing in turns, led by "Shi Qian" wielding a snake and leaping, energizing the crowd. Dancers wore painted faces, twirled double mallets, and moved with bold steps and synchronized actions to the beat of drums and whistles.
Huang Shuxin, leader of the Shantou Chaoyang Xilu Chaoxing Yingge Team, said that the exchange with the Malaysian Yingge team on the same stage was a vivid example of cultural collision. Young members brought vitality and innovation, while the older generation's adherence to tradition kept the essence of Yingge dance intact. Luo Peiwen, advisor of the Johor Chaoshan Eight Districts Association Yixing Yingge Team in Malaysia, also expressed excitement about the enthusiastic audience and hoped to promote the continuous development of Yingge culture through exchanges.
In recent years, Shantou Chaoyang District has promoted the inheritance of Yingge dance through event integration, innovation, and research protection. The event incorporates festivals like Spring Festival and National Day, introducing robot Yingge dance, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and Chaoshan-themed creative products. Meanwhile, the Chaoyang Yingge Art Research Center was established, hosting Yingge lectures and academic seminars to drive systematic protection and innovative development of Yingge dance.
The "China City International Online Image Index Report (2025)" shows Shantou's international influence ranks among the top 20 in mainland China. Yingge dance has become an important symbol of traditional Chinese culture through dissemination on domestic and international social media platforms. During the Year of the Horse Spring Festival, the Shantou Chaoyang Chengnan Zhongying Yingge Team will also travel to Vietnam from February 27 to March 4, 2026, for a six-day cultural exchange activity.
This Spring Festival Chaoyang Yingge Carnival not only showcased the unique charm of Chaoshan Yingge dance but also provided an in-depth cultural experience for domestic and international tourists, making it a must-see festival for Chaoshan tourism.