The Xisai Shenzhou Festival is a traditional festival for the villagers of Daoshifu Village in Xisaishan District of Huangshi City to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. The main activities include making Shenzhou, singing operas, parades, sending Shenzhou into the water and other ceremonies and activities. From the eighth day of the fourth lunar month every year, the day of the Buddha's birth, the dragon boat construction ceremony is held to make Shenzhou, and the Taoist priests preside over the ceremony to consecrate Shenzhou at midnight on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, until the official Shenzhou Festival from May 15 to 18. The entire event lasts for 40 days, which is currently the longest blessing activity during the Dragon Boat Festival in China. During the Shenzhou Festival, local people sing Chu operas day and night, and people from all over the country come to make wishes and pray for blessings to Shenzhou. At 8 o'clock in the morning on the 16th day of the fifth lunar month, Shenzhou will go out for a parade. Every household will hang calamus and mugwort leaves by the door, set up an incense table at the door, burn incense and candles, and place wine, tea, rice, fruits and other offerings. Every time they arrive at a house, the villagers will set off firecrackers to welcome them, scatter tea and rice, and worship them. On the evening of the 17th day of the fifth lunar month, 48 long-burning lanterns are lit for Shenzhou, and a vigil is held all night. On the morning of the 18th day of the fifth lunar month, Shenzhou leaves the palace. Taoist priests and all members of the Shenzhou Society jointly clear the way for Shenzhou. 16 young and strong men carry Shenzhou and send it into the river. The current carries the dragon boat down the river and flows eastward into the sea. At this time, many fishing boats on the river set up incense and tables at the bow, set off firecrackers, and circle Shenzhou three times to send it off. On the embankment where Shenzhou enters the river, thousands of villagers put their hands together and kneel down to worship Shenzhou, praying that Shenzhou will take away diseases, plagues, and disasters, and pray for a year of good luck, happiness, and well-being. The people spontaneously organized the Shenzhou Society to hold traditional folk cultural activities with the themes of eliminating disasters, diseases, and seeking peace, health, and longevity. The Shenzhou Society uses the form of "sending Shenzhou" to pray for the people of one side to ward off disasters and pray for blessings. It is the most spectacular folk event in the Dragon Boat Festival, and it has a history of more than a thousand years. The event is large-scale, has a deep mass base, and has been passed down to this day. It vividly and intensively expresses the content of the ancient folk Dragon Boat Festival customs and has precious cultural value. Since the legend of commemorating Qu Yuan was combined with the Dragon Boat Festival, especially after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the activities of the Shenzhou Association have also been linked to the legend of mourning Qu Yuan, injecting new vitality into traditional festivals. During the Shenzhou Association, there are rich and colorful mass cultural activities. The carefully built pavilions, carved beams and painted buildings are exquisitely crafted, magnificent, distinctive, and have high artistic value. On September 30, 2009, the Xisai Shenzhou Association was approved by UNESCO to be included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)