The Jia Pingwa Cultural Museum of Art, located in the west of Lintong district, Xi'an city, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, held a number of cultural tourism activities for the Dragon Boat Festival.

As a cultural tourism site, the museum is focused on literature, art and tourism. It held the activities of first writing ceremony, sachets making, and art museum night activities during the festival to give children the traditional Chinese cultural experience.

A "cinnabar for wise-opening" ceremony is to use cinnabar on the forehead of the child just entering school. This is also called "opening the eye", meaning that the child will be clear-minded and like reading and learning. [Photo by Xi'an Lintong Resort ]

In ancient times, studying at school was a great event in life. Schools still held a solemn “first writing” ceremony, a symbol of traditional Chinese education as children entered their road to literacy.

Usually, their first teacher taught the most basic and simple truths of life, as well as reading, and writing. All the children needed to worship Confucius before they could enter school. The “first writing ceremony” was an extremely grand event, and was of great significance to a scholar.

In the past, mothers sewed sachets for their children to protect them and pray for good luck at the Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo by Xi'an Lintong Resort ]

At the Dragon Boat Festival, in addition to eating rice dumplings, racing dragon boats, and drinking realgar wine, wearing a sachet is also a traditional custom for Chinese people. Mothers used to sew sachets for their children to protect them and pray for good luck.

The sachet making activity was held in the museum this year for parents and children to make their own auspicious sachets for the festival.

The picture book reading activity at the Jia Pingwa Cultural Museum of Art during the Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo by Xi'an Lintong Resort ]

The 2nd "Art Museum Night" event was also held during the festival, providing children with a variety of activities, including a bookstore night activity, a treasure hunt game, a pottery and terracotta production event, a picture book reading activity, a cute children pajamas party, bedtime movies, and Han culture studies.