An art performance opens the 2019 Vu Lan Festival at the Marble Mountain relic site.
A representative from local authorities beats the drum to start the festival.
Large numbers of local residents and tourists attend the event.

Thousands of Buddhist followers flock to the Marble Mountain relic site to show their gratitude to their parents and ancestors.
The annual festival is held on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar year.
During the Vu Lan festival, Buddhist followers visit pagodas and temples where they offer food, and other offerings to wandering hungry spirits. They also release animals such as birds or fish.
A bunch of balloons are released into the sky as a symbol of peace.
Works of calligraphy are showcased throughout the festival.
Many wore roses on their shirts: red roses for those whose mothers are alive and white roses for those whose mothers have passed.

Foreign tourists are interested in the festival.