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Chinese mainland, Taiwan hold 1st joint lantern fair in Nanjing
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-12 00:15
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NANJING: The Chinese mainland and Taiwan launched their first joint lantern festival here Thursday, two days before the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.
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Besides a huge Chinese-dragon-shaped lantern, fireworks shot into the sky open the festival on Feb 11 in Bailuzhou Park, Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu province. [Xinhua] |
Brilliant fireworks shot into the sky at 7:30 pm to mark the festival's opening ceremony in Bailuzhou Park, Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu province.
More than 300 different lanterns, including 100 from Taiwan, lit up the park running along the Confucius Temple-Qinhuai River scenic belt, kicking off the fair that will run through to March 3.
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Two phoenix-shaped lanterns displayed Feb 11 in Nanjing's Bailuzhou Park, in eastern Jiangsu province. More than 300 different lanterns, including 100 from Taiwan, lit up the park running along the Confucius Temple-Qinhuai River scenic belt, kicking off the fair that will run through to March 3. [Xinhua] |
Two eye-catching phoenix-shaped lanterns - each 17 meters long, 12 meters high and weighing 4.5 tons - decorated the bank of the river in the park. A 56-meter long dragon lantern built by Qinhuai craftsman adorned the opposite bank. All the lanterns conveyed the traditional good fortune blessing to the park's visitors.
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Jiangsu will also display its traditional Qinhuai lanterns in Chiayi city, Taiwan, during the official Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb 28 this year.
With a history of 1,500 years, the Qinhuai Lantern Fair entered China's intangible cultural heritage register in 2006.
"The lantern fair will promote cultural, tourist and economic exchanges, and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan," Ji Jianye, mayor of Nanjing, said at the ceremony.
About 1,000 tourists from Taiwan will visit the Qinhuai Lantern Fair, Janice Lai, head of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association in Nanjing, said.
Lai said the two sides will continue to expand cross-strait cultural and tourist exchanges this year.
