New Year’s Day: not to be confused with the much more raucous Chinese New Year, this Western day of celebration is observed none the less.

Chinese New Year: also known as the Spring Festival, this insanely hectic national celebration creates one of the world’s greatest migrations of people as they return home to ring in the New Year with firecrackers and lots of eating and drinking.

The Song Festival: men and women of all ages from the Zhuang ethnic group come together to sing traditional songs and showcase their local handicrafts.

Longsheng Red Clothes Festival: also known as Zhaina, the Red Yao ethnic groups gather in the town of Sishui to exchange goods, visit friends and relatives and compete in entertaining traditional games.

Dragon Boat Festival: this spectacle is held every three years on the Lijiang River, where the banks are filled with revellers filling the air with drums, bells and boat songs.

Ziyuan River Lantern and Song Festival: this is the main traditional festival of Ziyuan County, where lanterns are set alight and floated down the river at night to pray for good fortune. Singing and music accompany the festivities.

Founding of the PLA: this national holiday celebrates the creation of the People’s Liberation Army, which depending on your worldview, was either one of China’s greatest catastrophes or its crowning moment.

Fireworks Festival: the Dong ethnic group celebrates their principal holiday with fireworks designed to bring prosperity, good fortune and a good harvest in the coming year.

Miao New Year: this is a time for courtship between the young people of the Miao ethnic group, when young men play flutes while girls dress up in their finest.

Guilin Mountain and Water Tourism Festival: this government-sponsored event is designed to bring more tourists to Guilin during its low season to appreciate the city’s natural beauty.