Tens of thousands of Tibetans sang and danced joyously to celebrate the traditional Yalong Cultural Festival at Shannan prefecture in China's southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region over the past three days.

The festival, which ended Monday, was held at the Yalong river valley in Shannan prefecture, the birthplace of the Tibet ethnic group.

According to a legend, Tibetans were the descendants of a supernatural monkey and a fairy. It was in Shannan, where this ethnic group founded the ancient Tubo Dynasty, the first slavery regime in Tibet. Tibetans erected the first palace and first lamasery, opened up first plot of cultivated land and created the first Tibetan drama.

During the three-day cultural festival, symposiums on Yalong culture, trade fairs and folk art shows were held, drawing huge crowds of people of various ethnic groups.
 
(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2004)