Silk Road Festival Collection

Chang'an Annual International Calligraphy Conference is a grand event that has been held by Shaanxi Tourism Bureau during the last week of March annually, beginning in 1986. Chang'an, the former name of Xi'an, is reputed the home of calligraphy, as it is the hometown of many celebrated calligraphists and it houses numerous calligraphic masterpieces. During the Calligraphy Conference, many famous calligraphic works will be put on exhibition and items representing the four treasures of the study (writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, paper) will be on sale. Attendees will also have the opportunity to visit the steles and engraved stone tablets at Forest of Stone Steles and Shimen.



First held in 1993, City Wall Marathon has become a celebrated athletic event. On the first Saturday of every November, athletes and sports enthusiasts from all over the world gather together to take part in the competition. Running on the ancient City Wall, the athletes could also appreciate the charming scenery of the old city. City Wall Marathon is half marathon for the length of the City Wall is only about 13km in total. If the athletes prefers a longer distance, they could choose Xi'an International Marathon held every October, which has the full length marathon (42.195 KM), half marathon (21.0975 KM) and Happy 7KM.

Tianshui Fuxi Culture and Tourism Festival was first launched in 1988 and has been held in June every year since then. Fuxi is regarded as the humane ancestor of Chinese people, for he made many evolutions on the development of human civilization, such as teaching people fishing and hunting, changing the wedding customs, creating Chinese ancient calendars, etc. The festival features many activities, including a memorial ceremony for Fuxi, local art, and performances of the area's traditional songs and dances.

The Tianma Tourism Festival is held in Wuwei in every August since 2002. The festival begins with an impressive ceremony, and features rare culture relics as well as souvenirs.

The Mati Temple Tourism Festival is held annually on August 15-18. The event features equestrian feats and traditional athletics, as well as local delicacies such as roast mutton, ghee tea and barley liquor.

The Dragon Boat Competition is held in May, according to the lunar calendar, during the Dragon-boat Festival in Dunhuang. Besides, the dragon boat competition, tourists could also enjoy the performance of the local dancing or fashion show.

The Grape Festival was first held in 1990, as a means of commemorating the 2100th anniversary of the opening of the Silk Road. The festival then become an annual August event, filled with rich colors, folk songs, dance shows, and the tastes and smells of different kinds of grapes and wine throughout tours of Grape and Fruit Streets. If you are interested, you could experience the donkey riding and competition of eating grapes and watermelons.

The Urumqi Ice & Snow Festival has been held annually in late December since 2002. Usually the festival lasts for about 3 months. During this festival, participants can take part in many activities, such as group tours to Mountain Tianshan, self-drive adventures (such as swimming or visiting the hot springs), or viewing ice sculpture exhibitions.

The Eid-Al-Adha Festival is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world on December 12 each year, according to the Muslim calendar. The festival's name, Eid-Al-Adah, means "festival of sacrifice" in Arabic. On this holiday, Muslims will dress nicely and attend morning prayers at their local mosques. Some areas will also hold shows and athletic events to celebrate the festival.