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Visitors enjoy the Tianjin Drum Tower New Year Lantern Festival in North China's Tianjin, on February 3, 2025. Photos: VCG

On the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, five luminous fish-shaped lanterns stood quietly in a row at Beijing's Shougang Park, waiting for nightfall to bring them to life. Once a stage for the dazzling ice and snow spectacles of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the park was ready to welcome a different kind of wonder at the beginning of 2025 - a traditional celebration reborn: The fish-shaped lantern parade.

"The atmosphere was incredible. I came with my family for two days straight," Wang Xuejing, who is spending her sixth Spring Festival in Beijing, told the Global Times. 

"The first night was just the parade, but on the second, they added interactive activities." 

Though a seasoned Beijinger, this was the first time she had ever seen fish-shaped lanterns that have been preserved and passed down through generations from Huangshan, East China's Anhui Province in the city.

In addition to the fish-shaped lantern parade in Beijing, the interest in traditional cultural events such as the deity procession known as Youshen and Yingge dance in East China, the Ansai waist drum, and folk parades in Northwest China surged across the country, which can be reflected by searches for "intangible cultural heritage" (ICH) experiences that went up by 212 percent. 

National-level cultural activities experienced significant increases in interest, with notable searches for the Quanzhou Puppet Show, Zigong Lantern Festival, and Shehuo, a vibrant folk performance linked to the festival, according to the Hunan Daily. 

These intangible cultural events highlight the significance of the Year of the Snake, particularly with the inclusion of the Spring Festival in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The Shehuofolk parades and performances at the White Horse Pagoda in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu Province, on February 3, 2025

Diverse offerings

The Spring Festival embodies a diverse and profound array of intangible cultural heritage practices that are integral to Chinese culture. 

Among multiple numbers of Chinese intangible cultural heritage representative items, many are closely related to the traditional festival.

The annual Youshen, or deity processions, commenced in East China's Fujian Province, coinciding with the Spring Festival. 

This year, they attracted a substantial number of visitors, building on the momentum from 2024's successful events.

Youshenculture prevails along the southeastern coastal areas, with Fujian Province being the most prominent. 

When the time for Youshenarrives, the air reverberates with the sound of drums and firecrackers, transforming villages into bustling hubs of activity. 

Some liken it to a "walking folk museum."

Meanwhile, in Fujian, the Mawei-Matsu Lantern Festival, a national-level intangible cultural heritage, featuring lanterns of various shapes from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan island, also shines along the shore at night during the Spring Festival.

To enhance the atmosphere of this grand occasion for people across the Straits to celebrate and strengthen ties together, the Mawei district in Fujian and Matsu in Taiwan exchange lanterns as tradition and artistic performances with local characteristics are also presented to residents across the Straits, Lin Tianhong, chief planner of the lantern show, told the Global Times.

From appreciating lantern shows to cutting paper window decorations, from joining in traditional rituals to making lacquer fans, interactive and immersive experiences of diverse intangible cultural heritages add a rich cultural flavor to the Spring Festival. 

Celebrants explore Shanghai's Yuyuan Lantern Fair, on January 27, 2025.

Folk culture

The fish-shaped lantern parades provided Wang and her family with a refreshing way to celebrate the festival. 

Although they remained in Beijing during the recently concluded Spring Festival, Wang felt as though she had traveled to Anhui Province, fully immersing herself in the region's unique folk atmosphere.

"It was freezing, but the kids loved it. The parade moved quickly, and I noticed many people bringing their personally designed fish-shaped lanterns to join in. At one point, the crowd formed a huge circle around the display - it was such a sight to see," said Wang.

Southern Chinese cities saw a sharp rise in tourism during this year's Spring Festival, with cultural tourism orders up by 50 percent in the Chaoshan region, known for its rich history, unique dialect, and traditional culture, particularly in its cuisine and folk arts.

In Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the folk parades full of local ethnic colors also attracted many tourists. 

The four teams with around 220 participants from Dabangcheng district, Urumqi, presented folk Shehuoperformances to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

The performance incorporated the unique regional cultural elements of the "Eagle Dance" into traditional folk shows such as dragon and lion dances, boat parades, and stilt walks. 

The Eagle Dance is an intangible cultural heritage from Xinjiang, and is the gem of the Kazakh ethnic eagle dance culture. 

In this folk performance, the inheritors of the Eagle Dance showcase a variety of dance movements, including the soaring, swooping, and diving of eagles.

"The Shehuofolk parades and performances around the city can present a visual feast to our citizens and tourists, who can also participate in the performances on site and experience charm of intangible cultural heritages firsthand," Li Peng, deputy director of Urumqi's culture, radio, television and tourism bureau, told the Global Times.