|| China Correspondent: The streets of Baoting in South China's Hainan Province came alive with water fights early Tuesday, as residents and visitors armed with water guns and basins splashed one another in a festive celebration.The 2026 Hainan Qixian Hot Spring Water Festival, themed “Romantic Qixi, Fairy Comes to Baoting,” opened on August 19, coinciding with Qixi Festival, the traditional Chinese festival celebrating love. Tens of thousands of people joined the water-filled festivities in Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County.“For local people, the water festival is the event we look forward to most every year. We invite friends and family to celebrate the festival together,” said Wang Xianxin, a local resident of Baoting.The Qixian Hot Spring Water Festival has its roots in traditional water-worship ceremonies of the Li ethnic group. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, local Li and Miao communities gather around hot spring lakes to sing, dance, and offer sacrifices while praying for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity.After more than two decades of development and innovation, the festival has evolved into an important platform for showcasing Baoting’s cultural and tourism appeal, strengthening exchanges between Hainan and Taiwan, and promoting communication and integration among different ethnic groups.During the opening ceremony and a welcoming gala held the previous day, ethnic minority performers from Taiwan presented songs and dances featuring their distinctive cultural traditions. The audience applauded enthusiastically.The Taiwan New Century Cultural and Arts Troupe performed at the opening ceremony, with artists wearing traditional costumes and offering festival greetings in their ethnic languages. This was the troupe’s eighth consecutive year participating in the Hainan Qixian Hot Spring Water Festival.“We paid particular attention this year to presenting ethnic integration through our performances,” said Li Zhen Nikaer, head of the troupe. “This also fits well with the spirit of the water festival, where people from different ethnic groups come together and celebrate through music and dance.”Zhu Jiang, secretary of the Communist Party of China Baoting Li, and Miao Autonomous County Committee said the festival has been upgraded with a wider range of activities and more opportunities for public participation.This year’s program includes traditional water blessing ceremonies, a large-scale water celebration involving thousands of participants, a festive parade, electronic music performances, water shows, an evening celebration, and a family water park, according to Zhu.The festival has also expanded, offering visitors more diverse opportunities to experience local culture and entertainment.For international visitors, the water festival offered a memorable and unexpected experience.Leonardo, a tourist from the United States, attended the festival for the first time. Local participants quickly noticed him and enthusiastically targeted him with their water guns.“It was really exciting, but foreigners clearly have a harder time in the water fight here,” Leonardo said with a smile as he wiped water from his face.He added that he planned to introduce the festival to his friends and hoped to bring more foreign visitors to Baoting next year.The annual event has increasingly combined traditional ethnic culture with modern tourism and entertainment, helping promote Baoting as a destination where cultural heritage, festive activities, and tourism experiences come together.