The 40th Qinhuai Lantern Festival was officially illuminated on Wednesday evening in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, with the lighting ceremony taking place at Bailuzhou Park.

This year's festival features around 390 lantern installations across multiple exhibition areas along the Qinhuai River, accompanied by more than 200 cultural activities. The festival will run through March 31.

Overseas exhibition zones have been set up in the Netherlands and France, extending the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year to international audiences.

With a history spanning more than 1,700 years, the Qinhuai Lantern Festival has been recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage of China.