The 2026 Zhangjiajie International Street Dance Festival recently kicked off. As an important part of the event, 25 street dancers from China and abroad visited Zhangjiajie’s major scenic areas on August 17. With the towering peaks as their backdrop and the lake as their stage, they broke into freestyle dance and posed for photos, bringing a fresh, trendy twist to this renowned scenic destination.

That day, the dancers took a traditional-style sightseeing boat across Baofeng Lake, where quartz sandstone peaks rise along both shores and the clear water reflects the surrounding scenery like a mirror. After arriving at a floating platform near Yuanyang Island, the dancers began moving freely to the music. Breaking, Popping, Hip-Hop and other street dance styles took turns in the spotlight, with powerful beats creating a striking contrast with the tranquil landscape and drawing passing visitors to stop and watch.

At Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the spectacular peak forest scenery left the dancers in awe. As they made their way through the peaks of Yuanjiajie, many stopped to create their own photo and video content, blending street dance culture with Zhangjiajie’s distinctive mountain scenery and gathering inspiration for short-form videos.

According to the organizers, the “Street Dance Meets Baofeng Lake” activity uses street dance, a form of youth culture popular around the world, to bring dancers from China and abroad into Zhangjiajie’s major scenic areas for creative exploration. Through their firsthand experiences and social media sharing, the event aims to showcase the unique beauty of Zhangjiajie to global audiences, further expand the inbound tourism market, and strengthen the destination’s appeal among young international travelers.The dancers said they were deeply impressed by the peaks and waters of Baofeng Lake and hoped that, through their dance moves and cameras, more people would discover Zhangjiajie and fall in love with it.

By Dong Mingqin, Xiang Jianrui and Tuo Haixia