A wealth of dazzling dance performances are energizing southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, following the launch of the final round last Sunday for the 20th Qunxing Award -- one of China's national awards for performing arts.

At the Chongqing Public Cultural Art Center, 26 outstanding dance pieces performed by teams from across China amazed the audience.
The Beijing piece "Thermos Cup" portrayed a heartwarming story of neighbors helping each other. Shanghai's "Fun by the Old Well" drew inspiration from local intangible cultural heritage -- Xijiao peasant painting, featuring highly vivid and humorous choreography.
The group dance "Bride on the Carpet" from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region immersed the audience in a Uygur wedding scene with its joyful dance moves.
"The performers delivered an excellent and very precise stage performance, with a high level of technical execution, earning them warm applause," said Aisajan Sawut, deputy director of the Xinjiang Cultural Center.
The Qunxing Award is a national arts award established in 1991 for the general public and cultural workers, and is held every three years. The award covers six major categories of music, dances, plays, traditional Chinese operas, choir singing and public-square dancing.
For the current edition, 174 works have advanced to the final round, and the winners will be announced at the award ceremony on November 4.
The presentation of the 20th Qunxing Award is part of the 14th China Art Festival, which has kicked off on Oct 23 in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Established in 1987, the China Art Festival is one of the largest national comprehensive arts events, held every three years in the country. This year's festival is co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Sichuan Provincial Government, and the Chongqing Municipal Government.