During the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that began on Tuesday, celebrations and festival events featuring folklore and traditions are being held across China to usher in the Year of the Snake and entertain tourists and visitors from near and far.
The annual Wuhou Shrine Grand Temple Fair in the southwestern city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province has delivered immersive experiences to visitors. As the Shrine commemorates one of China's best-known statesmen Zhuge Liang from China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), dozens of themed lantern displays presenting classic stories of the era are bringing the history back to life.
In Zhangzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, visitors are treated with intangible cultural heritage performances and activities showcasing traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Alongside the exhibitions, restaurants and food stalls are also drawing large crowds to enjoy local delicacies that have been appreciated in the city for long.
In east China's Weihai City of Shandong Province, snowy coastal scenes and performances fusing local culture are attracting visitors to join local Spring Festival celebrations, with dragon and lion dances, gongs and drums adding to the festive vibes.
Local residents in Haoshan Town of east China's Jiangxi Province are celebrating the Chinese New Year with a spectacular dragon dance performed with a huge dragon structure which stretches for an astonishing 110 meters.
As a part of the local Spring Festival tradition, the dragon dance is to bring a joyful festive ambiance, and also a ritual to pray for favorable weather that leads to bountiful harvests throughout the Year of the Snake.
According to the leader of the dragon dance team, they are touring nearby villages to deliver performances for more than two weeks during the Spring Festival period.
Events featuring folklore, traditions held across China to boost tourism during Spring Festival
Military delegates from Thailand and Cambodia convened a meeting at the Thai side of the border in Chanthaburi province on Wednesday to prepare for formal talks regarding a ceasefire and monitoring mechanisms along their disputed border.
The secretariat-level meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) began at the Ban Phak Kat permanent checkpoint. At around 16:25 local time, the Cambodian delegation arrived for a half-hour preliminary discussion.
Speaking to reporters after the session, GBC Secretary for the Thai side Nuttapong Praokaew stated that the initial talks focused on setting the agenda for a full-delegation meeting scheduled for 09:00 on Thursday.
Both sides have already exchanged their respective standpoints, Natthaphong noted.
In this meeting, both parties will discuss and exchange documents to prepare for the upcoming 3rd Special GBC meeting, which is scheduled to be held on December 27, 2025, in order to ensure the cessation of hostilities and find solutions to restore stability between the two countries, as well as to facilitate a swift return to normalcy, said Cambodian Ministry of Defense's Undersecretary of State and spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.
Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said earlier on Wednesday that the secretariat meeting would take place from Wednesday to Friday.
If these preliminary discussions proceed smoothly, they will be followed by a meeting between the defense ministers of both nations on Saturday, he told a press briefing.
Surasant noted that clashes between the two sides are still ongoing, having already resulted in the deaths of 23 Thai soldiers. As of 08:00 on Wednesday, 42 Thai civilians had been killed and 13 injured in the multi-day conflict.
The Thailand-Cambodia border conflict has reignited since Dec. 7, and both sides have accused the other of initiating the attack.
Thailand, Cambodia start General Border Committee secretariat meeting amid ongoing clashes
