Girls with large headpieces made from the hair of their ancestors and wearing intricately patterned dresses danced in isolated villages in southwest China to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Against a stunning mountain backdrop, dozens of girls and women of the Long Horn Miao ethnicity performed for the annual flower festival or 'Tiaohuajie', held in Guizhou province on Thursday.
Onlookers watched - smartphones in hand - as the women swirled across a meadow, wearing dresses and jackets embroidered with pink roses and geometric patterns.
But it was the towering black headdresses of the dancers that really stood out - made from wool, string and the hair of their ancestors, and wrapped around animal horns with white fabric.
"It's really special to be at the centre of attention like this. I feel quite proud," said Yang Yunzheng, 16.
"We organise this festival once a year when we wear these headpieces. That doesn't change with modernisation".
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The Miao ethnic minority is made up of some nine million people, mostly found in China's southwest. Of those, around 5,000 "Long Horn Miao" live in just a dozen isolated villages in Guizhou.
Their headpieces are passed down through generations and worn on a number of occasions to honour their ancestors and preserve their traditions.
The festival is held on the 10th day of the Lunar New Year.
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