Lantern Festival goes modern at a Beijing amusement park

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Falling on the first full moon of the lunar new year, the Lantern Festival officially marks the end of the Spring Festival.

To celebrate, over 60 sets of festive lanterns have taken over Beijing's Happy Valley amusement park.

Photo provided to CGTN.

Unlike traditional lanterns made of paper, silk and glass, this year's Happy Valley festival has gone modern with LED lights.

It took five million yuan to create this type of light show. All the lanterns and lights are made by craftsmen from Zigong, a town in Sichuan Province that's known as "South China's Lantern City."

And it's not just lanterns and lights. The Chinese folk art “Datiehua” is also performed where artists splash molten iron into the air, creating sparks that look like fireworks.

Photo provided to CGTN.

It is a way of praying for good luck and warding off misfortune. Spraying molten iron has a history of over 2,000 years and is marked as a part of China's intangible cultural heritage. "It's very traditional but creative as well. I like the festive atmosphere," said a person in the audience.

"It's very creative to stage such a traditional performance in this modern amusement park," added another spectator. The tradition of lighting lanterns on this day began in the Han Dynasty some 2,000 years ago and has evolved into a grand nationwide folk festival.

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