Yuyuan Lantern Fair kicks off with tons of activities - SHINE

This year's Yuyuan Lantern Fair has gone viral online. So what does the Year of the Rabbit person successful store?

Fiona Li (left), dressed successful a accepted hanfu featuring a nine-sheep pattern, which is auspicious for the Chinese New Year, explores the Yuyuan Lantern Fair with hanfu enthusiast Xu Yue'er.

The taxable of 2023 lantern amusement is "a magic escapade of mountains and sea," inspired by "The Classic of Mountains and Seas," besides known arsenic "Shan Hai Jing," a Chinese classical substance and compilation of mythic geography and beasts.

The lanterns harvester accepted handcraft and high-tech installations to contiguous an immersive amusement astir past China.

Lanterns inspired by "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" are connected amusement successful Yuyuan Garden.

The iconic Zigzag Bridge has been transformed into a fairytale onshore with fascinating mythical creatures from the book. Yinglong dragon, the astir almighty beast successful "Shan Hai Jing," glows successful the pond with pinkish wings. Bailu, the achromatic cervid representing agelong beingness and a propitious omen, has gorgeous antlers and blinking eyes.

The Bailu lantern has blinking eyes.

The Yinglong dragon lantern

Visitors tin usage mobile phones to interact with the lanterns embedded with augmented reality. The dragon and different creatures travel to life, flying successful a virtual world world.

In the play of Emperor Zhu Di successful the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the yearly lantern just was the biggest taste lawsuit during the Spring Festival. The large lantern was called Giant Aoshan, oregon Turtle Mountain. It comprised hundreds of smaller lanterns, and was a cardinal attraction successful the festival during that time.

The spectacle seems to person returned astatine this year's Yuyuan Lantern Fair.

The large gully successful the halfway quadrate is simply a immense rabbit lantern dressed successful the benignant of Flying Apsaras successful Dunhuang murals, performing the legendary dance, portion Kun Peng, a mythical beast that looks similar a hybrid of food and bird, flying beside it. The airy and colour change, bringing a magical view.

The lanterns astatine the Golden Square diagnostic a rabbit, magpie, dog, turtle and bat, which correspond the 5 auspicious animals, and they're performing successful a band. In Jiangnan (regions southbound of the Yangtze River), determination is simply a saying that if the 5 crook up, men of endowment would travel retired successful succession successful the family.

The lanterns astatine the Golden Square diagnostic 5 auspicious animals

A radical of fancy carp lanterns jointly created by Yuyuan and Shanghai Museum are connected amusement connected Yuyuan Old Street.

As a highlight, each nighttime an enactment is held to recreate the expansive lighting ceremonial of the Lantern Festival from past times. When touching the glowing reflector connected the lanterns, the full Yuyuan Garden instantaneously converges into a agleam oversea of lights.

In accepted Chinese culture, the lantern just isn't conscionable astir lanterns. Meeting caller friends, playing lantern riddles and trying festive nutrient are each amusive ways to bask the event.

They besides supply an immersive acquisition for visitors – gathering the past friends.

The angiosperm fairy is giving blesses to visitors.

The rabbit fairy with fluffy ears, the student carrying a Chinese accepted woody publication box, the rabbit fairy successful a blooming dress, the past peddler bringing rabbit hats and lanterns, and the wide successful his helmet and armor – determination are 5 actors walking astir the just this year. Find them, and instrumentality portion successful a amusive interactive game.

The rabbit fairy is showing her fluffy rabbits.

The astir fashionable quality indispensable beryllium the scholar, who takes retired a publication of lantern riddles erstwhile you bump into him. If your reply is correct, you'll triumph the fortunate quality fu (福) arsenic a New Year's gift.

The student wonders astir successful the fair.

The special-edition satellite rabbit lanterns touted by the peddler are good received by visitors, and were sold retired successful the archetypal week.

The rabbit-shaped lanterns are everyplace successful the fair.

More lantern riddles are placed on the thoroughfare adjacent Shanghai Pear Candy Store. It's rather amusive to conjecture the answers, nonstop wishes, oregon merchandise flying lanterns, overmuch similar what the past radical did hundreds of years ago. Today, we're doing the aforesaid thing, but successful the metaverse. Just scan the QR code.

The lantern riddles

Ask for a blessing? Go find a immense reddish lantern with the aureate quality ji (luck 吉), connected Wenchang Street adjacent Exit 8, a New Year's fortunate gully tin beryllium recovered beside it.

Hit the doorbell for bully luck.

As a tradition, constitute down your wishes for the caller twelvemonth and necktie them to the "lucky tree," and your wishes mightiness travel true.

As a contented dating backmost 700 years, a lantern just travel ever ends with a vessel of tangyuan (glutinous balls with saccharine oregon salty fillings). The Ningbo Dumpling Restaurant is offering some saccharine and salty tangyuan, with 4 with sesame filling, and 2 with pork filling. It makes a large midnight snack.

The yearly lantern just volition beryllium moving done February 15, with accepted festive celebrations held connected January 22-28 and February 1-5, which necessitate a ticket.

The lantern just successful the miniature world

As a hidden gem, a mini lantern just is underway astatine "Yumeng Miniature World – Shanghai successful Wonderland" successful Tianyu Mansion. At the exhibition, the Yuyuan Garden and the City God Temple are restored connected a immense array covering 80 quadrate meters, based connected a coating from the play of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) successful the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

If you go:

1. The Lantern Fair

Date: Through February 15

Admission: Free (except January 22-28 and February 1-5)

Tickets: 50 yuan for adults and 30 yuan for children (80 yuan for adults and 50 yuan for children connected February 5)

2. Yumeng Miniature World

Opening hours: 9am-9pm

Address: B1, Tianyu Mansion, 159 Jiujiaochang Rd

Tickets: 120 yuan for adults and 60 yuan for children (ticket for the lantern just is besides required during January 22-28 and February 1-5)