On July 25, the sixth Lily Han Culture Festival (百合花汉文化节) opened on the riverbank by Sanhao Bridge in Shenyang. Built around the transmission and promotion of traditional Chinese culture, the festival gathered Hanfu performance, poetry and classics recitation, and traditional craft demonstrations into one celebration of guofeng (国风) aesthetics, drawing citizens and culture enthusiasts from across the city. Official media including Shenyang Release and Shenyang Daily covered the opening.
The curtain rose with the Hanfu dance "Ode to the Flower Goddess" (花神赋), performers moving in long flowing sleeves with soft, measured grace that immediately warmed the crowd. The folk song "Happiness Forever" (幸福永远) followed, its melody drifting across the water by Sanhao Bridge to sustained applause.
Calligraphy and Go demonstrations balanced movement with stillness. Calligraphers swept their brushes across the paper, each finished piece carrying its own rhythm and depth, showcasing the refinement of Chinese painting and calligraphy; at the Go tables, players studied the board with quiet concentration before placing stones with unhurried precision. A dedicated display zone nearby let visitors examine the finished works up close.
The classic scene drama "Ballad of Mulan" (木兰辞) recreated in immersive fashion the resolve of Mulan, the girl who joined the army in her father's place, letting the audience feel the heroine's sense of duty across a thousand years. Poetry recitals of "Praise" (赞美) and "China in the Moonlight" (月光下的中国) celebrated the mountains and rivers of the country, wrapping the crowd in the power of words and the love of homeland.
Now in its sixth consecutive edition, the Lily Han Culture Festival has become a signature cultural event in Shenyang, drawing large numbers of residents and Hanfu enthusiasts every year. Organizers say the program will continue to roll out new guofeng experiences, carrying the festival's mission of bringing traditional culture into everyday life.
