Title: Identity Reconstruction and the Revival of Communal Festivals: The Longdong Festival in Naheng on the Sino-Vietnamese Border

• In Event: Responses by Indigenous Peoples of China and Taiwan to Projects of Protecting the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Abstract

In this paper I examine the revival of the communal Longdong festival in Naheng in Jinlong, Guangxi, on the Sino-Vietnamese border, and explore ethnic identity reconstruction of the Tai in contemporary China with reference to the local historical background and social context. The Tai ethnic group in Jinlong are officially classified as Zhuang, and celebrate Longdong Festival during the Spring Festival. On the day of the festival, a conventional qiuwu ritual to pray for seeds from God, as well as for the prosperity of crops and the safety of villagers, is conducted. At the beginning of the twenty-first century Tai communities in Naheng once again began to celebrate the Longdong festival after a hiatus of almost fifty years. Besides the festival involving the traditional qiuwu ritual, it was organized to also include some cultural activities such as dance performances and a folk song singing contest. The latter activities attracted the participation of local Chinese and Vietnamese villagers, and drew interest from the media. Thus, through intervention by local government, media, and non-governmental organizations, the festival was promoted from having a communal religious meaning to being an all-round Tai cultural display. Its new format reveals the crossing of ethnic, national, administrative, and gender boundaries under new international cultural policies, and illustrates national and international political relationships in contemporary China. The revival of the Longdong festival has reconstructed and strengthened Tai ethnic identity, but has not fulfilled the government’s expectation to enhance the “Zhuang-ness” of Naheng people’s Tai identity.

Author

• Yanqin Pan, College ASEAN, Guangxi University for Nationalities