The first dragon dance contest of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China, made its debut in Zhongwei County, Friday, with a total of 19 teams of local competitors.

Dragon dance is a traditional team performance and represents the 7,000 year-long Chinese tradition of worshipping the image of the dragon, which represents peace and prosperity.

Dragon dance with strong folk flavor has prevailed for thousands of years in Zhongwei, and the contest this time has received an enthusiastic response from the local audience.

According to a senior official from the local tourism administration, Ningxia for the first time holds a large dragon dance contest as a prelude for the coming international tourist festival, which is called "Great Desert and Yellow River."

Zhongwei County has been listed as one of 500 in the world making great achievements in protecting the environment. The desert park in the area has also been called "a miracle of desert-control."

Local statistics show that Zhongwei receives 4,000 tourists every day during the week-long holiday starting from May 1.

(People's Daily 05/05/2001)