Overview
- The festival is widely celebrated as the finale of Chinese New Year, though it is not an official public holiday.
- Quzhou in Zhejiang marked the day with a citywide dragon dance featuring 18 troupes, an eye‑dotting ritual, and processions that showcased recognized intangible cultural heritage.
- Haining staged choreographed river displays using drones, while Zigong drew large crowds with massive installations incorporating materials such as porcelain and silk plus AI elements.
- The celebration traces its roots to the Han dynasty, when emperors kept lanterns burning at night in worship of the deity Taiyi as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian.
- In later eras the festival expanded into a public carnival, with Tang authorities lifting night curfews and Ming rulers extending festivities up to 20 days, including Zhu Yuanzhang’s lanterns along Nanjing’s Qinhuai River.