Also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, the Yu Lan Festival of culture was brought over by the people of Chiu Chow and has since become a part of China’s intangible cultural heritage by the State Council.

During the month of August, the festival entails the city-wide burning of offerings to ancestors and ghosts. You will also see Chiu Chow Operas pop up around town to celebrate the event. Housed in makeshift bamboo scaffolding stages, these Chiu Chow opera performances praising the deities and dramas are there to entertain the alive and dead. And they’re truly a tradition worth learning about and keeping alive.

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