 Hong Kong Tourism Festival (Zhangmutou)
Zhangmutou Town is located to the southeast of Dongguan. It is endowed with an excellent location and charming landscapes. It has a permanent population of over 23,000 and a floating population of over 200,000. Some 50,000 of these ‘floaters’ are businessmen from Hong Kong who have purchased their second homes here. During holiday seasons, over 100,000 people from Hong Kong will spend their vacations here, giving Zhangmutou Town the nickname “Small Hong Kong”.Based on this, Zhangmutou Town creates a tourism festival called Hong Kong Tourism Festival.
The event enhances the touristic image while improving the tourism industry and trading economy of Dongguan. This festival has a variety of programs and activities, including the grand opening ceremonies, Qilin dance shows, Water-pouring festivals, sightseeing tours, recreational programs, collective exercise activities, calligraphy and photograph exhibitions, business trade shows, and tourism resource exhibitions, among many others. All in all, the event is very comprehensive and interactive.
Time:
late July to early August
Venue:
Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan
 Dongkeng Maishen Festival (“Selling Yourself” Festival)
Thousands of local residents and visitors from Hong Kong and Macau flock to Dongkeng on the 2 day of February, Chinese Lunar Calendar. Together, they walk the town's 5 kilometer long street spreading the news: "an immortal descends to the world," and line up to sprinkle and be sprinkled with magical water. Participants then go shopping and stop to appreciate decorated vehicles and search for the immortals. All these activities herald the beginning of the Maishen Festival, a Chinese folk custom dear to Dongguan. This is the only festival organized by non-governmental organizations in Dongguan.
According to historic records, the Maishen Festival dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Lu Tongjin, a rich lord of Tangsha village in Dongkeng, put up a notice that he would be hiring skilled peasants on the second day of Lunar February. After seeing the notice, countless villagers came to apply for the job. Other local landlords followed suit and put up their own help-wanted notices. As time passed, on the same day every year, young and strong peasants from surrounding areas would come to Dongkeng looking for work. This practice gradually evolved into a local custom, famous for its name Maishen (selling oneself) Festival.
Although no one would buy or sell an employee today, other traditional customs continue, such as enjoying local delicacies, ritual absolutions and meeting the immortals while shopping. According to experts, no other traditional Chinese festival has such customs, hence this event is a unique symbol of China's historical and cultural heritage.
Time:
February 2nd of the Chinese Lunar Calendar
Venue:
Dongkeng Town, Dongguan
 Dongguan Cuisine Festival
This is an annual Cuisine Festival, traditional to Dongguan. During the event, visitors can taste delicious dishes from Guangdong, Chaozhou, Beijing, Hunan, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Shandong, Anhui, northeast China, Taiwan and even other nations like Japan, Korea and those of Southeast Asia. All foods and snacks displayed are free, and event visitors are welcomed to taste all.
During the festival, many performances of singing and dancing, celebrity and famous chef cooking shows, and local snack exhibitions take place. You can enjoy them all!
Time:
during National Day Golden Week
Venue:
Fumin Business Pedestrian Street, South City of Dongguan
 Dongguan Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boats are one of the most famous and important folk arts in Dongguan. The Shikong Town area is China’s most famed Dragon Boat town.
Dragon boat racing is a traditional and expected part of the Dragon Boat Festival, but aside from the obvious character of it, Dragon Boat racing is an important and healthy sport. Dongguan’s dragon boat team practice year-round and has won several championships and international competitions.
Dongguan’s government has gotten personally involved in the stimulation of the activity. Annually, the local government organizes the Dongguan Dragon Boat Festival, a special dragon boat contest to encourage the development of this fantastic sport and the community’s involvement. The festival includes a series of activities, which provide a great experience for participants, such as the International Dragon Boat Contest, Dongguan Shilong Cup Dragon Boat Contest, entertaining parties, fireworks shows, International Female Beach Volleyball Competition, X-games, folk song shows and food carnivals, among many other events.
You won't want to miss this exciting festival!
Time:
early May of the Chinese Lunar Calendar
Venue:
Jinsha Bay, Shilong Town, Dongguan City
 Hengli Red Lichee Festival
Hengli Red Lichee Festival is held once every two years in late June. During that time, visitors can go to Hengli Town to taste the delicious fruit and enjoy beautiful country-side scenes.
While there, visitors can also enjoy excellent entertainment performances, dragon boat parades and beautiful landscapes of Hengli Town, all while meeting new people, visitors and locals.
Time:
late June to early July
Venue:
Hengli Town, Dongguan
 Xiegang Mountain Climbing Day
In Xiegang Town, you will find Dongguan’s highest mountain, Yinping Mountain. It provides a great eco-environment and challenge for mountain climbers and bikers. The local government realized the potential of its resource and decided to provide mountain sport enthusiasts an annual festival.
To make the event even better, people can volunteer for green activities and can also enter the photography contests which are held during the day.
Time:
no fixed schedule
Venue:
Yinpinzui, Xiegang Town, Dongguan
 Dongguan Youth Festival
The event is a festival targeted towards the youth of Dongguan. To date (2009), this event has been held twice and has had great success during each edition.
Lasting for about 5 days and nights, this festival features a variety of interactive programs such as youth games, singing and dancing shows and food carnivals. The festival shows many of the charms of Dongguan and also its bright future.
Time:
May 1st - 5th
Venue:
no fixed venue
 Qiaotou Lotus Arts
Qiaotou Town is part of Dongguan, and a very traditional town of Guangdong. The area has abundant natural and cultural resources, and has in the last few years developed a tourist attraction that takes advantage of the region's three-hundred acres of lotus fields. This center holds two major events: Qiaotou Day and the Lotus Arts Festival.
Time:
Around June 28
Venue:
Lian lake, Qiaotou town
 Dongguan International Beer Festival
Dongguan is also famous for its beer production. This festival, held during the National Day commemorations (first week of October), bring together local, national and international producers. Last year's festivals had an amazing 70 different beer brands, Chinese delicacies, a parade of floats and games. Beer drinking competitions make up a good deal of the fun, but other games and exhibitions also provide for entertainment and excitement.
Time:
National Day Golden Week
Venue:
Changping town
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