People watch lion dance performances in Yuxian on Jan 13, 2019. [Photo by Sun Ge/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Running through March 8, the festival also opened its gate to international visitors this year in order to promote its history and culture to a wider audience.

Muhammad Shahzaib, a Pakistani student who currently studies medical science at Hebei North University, was among 20 international students from the college that toured the ancient county on Sunday. He said he enjoyed the unique cultural experience and was quite impressed by the jubilant performances as well as the colorful costumes of local performers.