China Spring Festival: LED drones illuminate night sky in Xi'an instead of fireworks

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During the Lunar New Year, many across China practice ancient customs and traditions. But some take the opportunity to embrace innovation to celebrate the holiday. One example of this was seen in northeast China's Shaanxi Province, where a drone light show illuminated the night sky in the capital Xi'an. Zhao Yunfei has more.

300 drones put on a spectacular light show on Tuesday night in Xi'an, a city steeped in thousands of years of history. To the tune of New Year melodies, the fleet of synchronized drones, with in-built LEDs, took to the air despite light rain.

The unmanned aerial vehicles lined up to form various characters and words -- including the character for Fu which refers to good luck, good fortune and blessing. Xiong Yifang, the brains behind the show, said the drones were programmed to perform in sequence.

XIONG YIFANG DRONE LIGHT SHOW DESIGNER "By putting on the show in this city of great historical significance, we intended to wish the people of Xi'an as well as people in the whole nation a happy Chinese New Year in a both innovative and environmentally friendly way."

The drones soared up against the backdrop of ancient buildings, gleaming in different colors. Mesmerized spectators reached for their phones to capture the dazzling light show.

A few days earlier, UAVs coupled with LEDs had also been used to decorate the night sky. In the southern city of Guangzhou just ahead of Lunar New Year's Eve, 300 drones were in formation spelling out CGTN.

The innovative move is seen as an alternative to fireworks as more major cities in China banned such pyrotechnics during the Spring Festival amid concerns about high levels of pollution. Zhao Yunfei, CGTN.