Villagers and tourists dine on cultural feast in Dongsha

A cultural festival kicks off in Dongsha, an ancient fishing village located in Daishan county of Zhoushan, on July 14. [photo/zjol.com.cn]

Dongsha, an ancient fishing village located in Daishan county of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, held an annual cultural festival on July 14, offering visitors a slice of authentic island life.

With big red lanterns lit on the street, the festival presented visitors an array of folk culture performances, including traditional handicrafts, acrobatic shows, sugar painting and straw weaving.

At the heart of proceedings was a feast called the "thousand-people banquet", which despite its name actually saw authentic island cuisines being served to over 3,000 local villagers and tourists at 300 separate tables in the open air.

"It is so lively, I've never eaten like this before," said one of the tourists, adding that as a child growing up in the city, he has never seen people have dinner outdoors.

The scale of this year's banquet was larger than ever before, with half of the tables are dishes cooked by local villagers, said an official from the Dongsha government, adding that the festival is expected to promote the ancient town and boost the local tourism industry.

With the efforts of the Dongsha government, the annual festival has become a name card for the tourism industry of the village and Daishan county as a whole.

Local villagers and tourists in Dongsha village enjoy the authentic island cuisines at 300 separate tables in the open air at a cultural festival on July 14. [photo/zjol.com.cn]

Local villagers and tourists in Dongsha village enjoy musical performances at a cultural festival on July 14. [photo/zjol.com.cn]