Since its inception in 1995, the annual Yuyuan Lantern Festival has become a landmark Spring Festival celebration in Shanghai and was inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008. This year’s celebration kicked off on Jan 26 and, for the first time, expanded to several other areas near The Bund, featuring a diverse collection of lanterns to mark the upcoming Year of the Horse. Running through March 3, it extends beyond Yuyuan Garden Malls to The Bund Finance Center, Ancient City Park, Middle Fangbang Road, Fuyou Road, and The Bund.
With traditional colorful lanterns blended with technology and fashion art, the illuminated areas connect the city's major landmarks' past, present, and future and offer visitors a variety of experiences, including sightseeing, interactive activities, shopping, delicacies, and cultural events.
Inspirations from ancient mythology
Similar to previous editions, the theme and lantern installations at the festival's core, Yuyuan, are inspired by Shan Hai Jing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a significant source of Chinese mythology dating back over 2,000 years.
Through the masterful fusion of lantern craftsmanship, an intangible cultural heritage, with cutting-edge digital light art, the area presents a visual feast where traditional Chinese culture intertwines with modern technology.
The theme symbolizes life as a vast "wilderness" rather than a fixed "track", encouraging people to bravely explore and courageously pursue their dreams like a galloping horse in an evolving world.
The main installation at Yuyuan's Central Plaza consists of six majestic horses inspired by the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Each delicately incorporates horse elements from the Luoyang Museum's treasured collection, presenting distinct characters and leaping vividly to life amid the shifting play of light and shadow.
Immersive lantern art installations
At the Gold Plaza stands a three-story-tall revolving lantern featuring a crafted frame of sunmao, mortise-and-tenon joints often used in ancient Chinese architecture that fastens wood pieces together without the use of glue or nails. Blended with modern digital technologies, six meticulously painted pictures cycle through the shifting light and shadow, vividly telling stories of Spring Festival traditions.
The installations at the Jiuqu (zigzagging) Bridge area lead visitors deeper into the mythical universe. Under glowing lights, the lake transforms into an endless sea of stars where the ancient Chinese constellation system, "Twenty-eight Mansions", is scattered. Mythical creature lanterns inspired by Shan Hai Jing are set among the "stars", showcasing the vitality rooted in the wilderness and in everyone's true self.
Extending the festive spirit beyond Shanghai
The other five illuminated areas during the festival will share the same theme as Yuyuan but feature different, innovative presentations. For example, The Bund Finance Center will showcase a collaboration with Pop Mart and be decorated with the toymaker's popular IPs.
In addition, diverse traditional games, folklore workshops, cultural parades and performances, and digital interactions will allow visitors to engage in multiple ways.
Notably, this year's festival will further extend the Shanghai-style Chinese New Year vibe nationwide. Lantern installations will also be set up in other cities including Suzhou in Jiangsu province, Ningbo in Zhejiang province, Tianjin municipality, Shenyang in Liaoning province, and Quanzhou in Fujian province.
