Villagers in Linjiang village rehearse dance moves for the Spring Festival Gala. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

As Spring Festival draws near, the residents of Linjiang village in Huilong town, Qidong, Nantong, Jiangsu province are busy with preparations for their annual Spring Festival Gala. This is the seventh year that the village has hosted the gala, with most of the performances being directed and performed by the villagers themselves.

The gala features many different forms of entertainment, including singing and dancing, recitals, Shanghai Opera, and fitness displays, and has evolved into a village tradition.

Party chief of Linjiang village Qin Zhong said that in recent years, the village has taken steps to enrich cultural and recreational activities for its residents. It has successively established 13 cultural and sports teams for radio exercise, choir, fan dancing, waist drumming, and Chinese chess, with approximately 400 people participating.

This year, the villagers are highly enthusiastic about participating in the Spring Festival Gala. The performance is scheduled to take place a few days before Spring Festival, said Qin.

Apart from the gala, Linjiang village also hosts countryside sports events on a regular basis, such as bean peeling and tug of war. Moreover, with its Chinese chess team established on Oct 30 last year, the village has been inviting chess masters from the Yangtze River Delta region to participate in various chess competitions.

A bean peeling competition is held in Linjiang village. [Photo/Nantong Daily]