And Qingming Festival is also celebrated by various ethnic groups in China. And different groups have different traditions to honor their ancestors.

Early in the morning, the Gelao ethnic group in Wuchuan County of Guizhou Province begin their annual sacrificial ceremony. First, the host serves up sacrificial offerings including grains, fruit and hand-made cloth; then comes the showcase of folk dance accompanied by the group's traditional music.

Thousands of tourists witness the traditional ceremony, which is held at a very special location.

"The god was born on that mountain, so we hold this sacrificial ceremony here every year. We pray for his blessings. He will bring health and fortune for us and many generations to come," ceremony host Zhang Jian said.

Qingming Festival is also a time to get close to nature. In Longli County, people of the Buyi ethnic group are collecting a kind of wild herb to make offerings to their ancestors. The herb is very rare and can only be collected and eaten at this time of year.

The herb is mixed with powder made from glutinous rice, and then steamed for a couple of hours. It is one of the Buyi people's favorite traditional foods.

"We offer the food to our ancestors and we also eat it. It tastes good and is good for our health. So every year around this time, we all make this food no matter how busy we are with farmwork," villager Wang Yongmao said.

A festival celebrated by ethnic groups throughout the country, but in very different ways.