Dong people sing the Grand Songs at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The opening ceremony of the singing competition of the 17th Dong Grand Song Festival took place in Congjiang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on Nov 30.

This year's festival features 198 teams with 4,267 singers. The competition runs from Nov 30 to Dec 29, with performances held every weekend afternoon at Congjiang's Luanli Bandao Ethnic Square.

Dong people dress in traditional costumes to celebrate the festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The opening ceremony showcased a spectacular display of ethnic costumes and folklore, highlighting Congjiang's rich ethnic culture, diverse totem worship, and cultural elements filled with countless legends and stories, leaving the audience in awe and thoroughly entertained.

The Dong Grand Song has a long history and is a multi-part, unaccompanied, and conductor-less form of folk choral singing of the Dong ethnic group.

Dong people perform showcase traditional culture at the festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]