On July 25 and 26, the third Wulongxia Hanfu Festival, themed "Wulong Jiyan: Thousand Lanterns, Flowing Galaxy" (乌龙吉宴·千灯星河流光会), was held at the Wulongxia scenic area in Datong. The festival recreated the qunwo banquet (裙幄宴) — the Tang-dynasty outdoor feast in which ladies hung skirt curtains to form open-air pavilions — and layered it with guofeng stage performances, ancient-style interactive games, river lantern blessings, and a fireworks finale. More than 500 Hanfu enthusiasts took part, and the scenic area received 25,000 visits over the two days. The event was co-hosted by the Datong Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau and the Wulongxia scenic area.
Wulongxia, also known as Sanggan Ancient Road Wulongxia, is a national AAA scenic area whose defining features are a ten-thousand-year volcanic gorge and the thousand-year Sanggan ancient road. In midsummer the gorge spreads out in clear water and lush greenery, making it a natural stage for the festival. Performers in period dress moved through the forest with guofeng numbers, while on the woodland stage dancers performed against the sheer gorge walls; spectators crowded shoulder to shoulder, phones raised to capture the timeless scene.
The program spanned five parts: the immersive Tang qunwo banquet experience, guofeng stage performances, ancient-style interactive games, river lantern blessings, and the fireworks show. After nightfall, a thousand electronic river lanterns were released over the water one by one, their lights swaying on the surface, before the fireworks finale peaked — multicolored auspicious-cloud shapes painting the gorge sky like a scroll. The area had staged its fourth Huazhao Festival (花朝节) in April under the theme "Three Thousand Lanterns Lit for You, Blossoms Filling the City," when a thousand sky lanterns rose and a grand fireworks display left a similar impression.
Safety management was strict throughout the festival. The scenic area arranged dedicated staff to guide visitors along the slippery riverside paths at night, and banned open flames, candle lanterns, and personal fireworks outright — all blessings used only the electronic lanterns distributed by the area. The festival's success continues a strong run for Datong's cultural tourism: the scenic area had already welcomed 15,000 visitors during the Qingming holiday.
The Datong Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau said the third edition of the festival not only advanced the city's culture-tourism integration but also let more residents and travelers feel the appeal of traditional Chinese dress culture through immersive experience. Wulongxia has now built a series of branded events around the Huazhao Festival and the Hanfu Festival, and its year-round free-admission policy for visitors wearing Hanfu remains in effect, making the gorge a popular destination for Hanfu enthusiasts in Datong and the surrounding region.
