"Distinguished guests have arrived in our mountain town; welcome to Baisha." On the morning of August 7, young men and women in splendid ethnic attire were already waiting at the entrance of Baisha Village, Xiaoheiqing Town, Huili City. Amidst the resounding and majestic notes of Yi ethnic long horns, the "Water Chestnut Sea Reflecting Fire, Pastoral Songs of Joy" Torch Festival series of events officially commenced, unveiling a unique pastoral folk carnival for the Huili Torch Festival.

During the opening ceremony, the Duolehe parade troupe, dressed in exquisite traditional costumes, moved gracefully along the streets. Their lively dance steps, paired with distinctive ethnic garments, vividly showcased the charm of Yi folk customs, attracting passersby to stop, watch, and take photos, filling the entire Baisha Village with a festive atmosphere.

"One cannot truly feel the festive atmosphere without experiencing the Torch Festival on-site in Liangshan. This is our first visit to Huili. The climate is pleasant, and the activities are diverse. The Sichuan pepper and buckwheat flour at the agricultural products market are quite unique. I really like it here, and my whole family will return next year," said Li Xia, a tourist from Chongqing.

Before the parade had even concluded, various cultural and sports activities took the stage in succession, drawing enthusiastic crowds. The highly anticipated preliminary round of the "Camellia Fairy" beauty pageant made its debut first, with contestants showcasing their unique charm in magnificent Yi attire, eliciting waves of cheers and applause from the audience. At the folk sports arena, bullfighting and ram-fighting championships kicked off with great excitement. The entertaining competitions offered plenty of highlights, drawing layers of local residents who gathered around to watch and cheer.

As night fell, a torch parade unfolded across thousands of mu of water chestnut fields. A continuous line of torchbearers wound through the field paths, creating a breathtaking pastoral landscape of starlight. Melodious Yi folk songs rang out one after another, followed by artistic performances and a bonfire party. People of all ethnic groups and visitors from far and near joined hands around the bonfire, singing and dancing together without distinction, their joyful laughter echoing over the entire countryside.

"Our village is home to five representative intangible cultural heritage items and more than twenty folk arts. We hope to promote our hometown through events like the Torch Festival, so that more people can learn about and visit this place," said Wang Kunlong, deputy secretary of the Party General Branch of Baisha Village, Xiaoheiqing Town, Huili City.

It is reported that the 2026 Huili Torch Festival will be celebrated across multiple venues. The Xiaoheiqing Town sub-venue skillfully integrates pastoral scenery, rich folk traditions, and cultural and sports activities, leveraging the festival to boost intangible cultural heritage preservation and rural cultural tourism development. Moving forward, Huili will continue to cultivate its year-round wellness tourism brand by tapping into ethnic cultural and ecological resources, enriching festival content, and upgrading visitor experiences. The city aims to polish the "Sichuan-Yunnan Torch Festival, Cool Huili Tour" brand and establish itself as a renowned cultural tourism and wellness destination in the Sichuan-Yunnan region.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】