The 2018 Baiyun Mountain Zheng Immortal Tourism and Cultural Week officially started on Sept 1 at Baiyun Mountain, featuring a series of folk custom performances, exhibitions, and fun activities.

The 2018 Baiyun Mountain Zheng Immortal Tourism and Cultural Week starts on Sept 1 in Guangzhou. [Photo/southcn.com]

Zheng Immortal, whose real name was Zheng Anqi, was a doctor who lived during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Legend says that Zheng cured many diseases in Guangzhou using herbs, but refused to help China's first emperor, Qinshihuang, in his quest for longer life. Zheng later became immortal after killing himself by jumping off a cliff on Baiyun Mountain.

The lion dance is performed to mark the start of the festival. [Photo/southcn.com]

To commemorate Zheng, locals built a special temple for him and every year on the 25th of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the day of Zheng's death, they hosted a range of activities, such as lantern shows, lion dances, and martial arts performances.

The special event has been held for seven consecutive years and this year's highlights include a thematic hiking, the release of a promotional documentary for the Zheng Immortal festival, and Cantonese Opera shows.

Artists perform Cantonese Opera during the festival. [Photo/southcn.com]