On the night of the Lantern Festival, the lights and shadows merge into the Milky Way.

As the warmth of spring gradually returns and the moon grows fuller, the annual Lantern Festival arrives as scheduled.

People weave through the dazzling lanterns, making wishes for "peace and prosperity year after year"; in the light and shadow scenes painted by drones, they experience the new traditions of the New Year enhanced by technology; amidst the consumer boom, they savor the warmth and prosperity of the New Year.

Celebrating the Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere is strong.

At around 10 a.m., the Nine-Turn Bridge in Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden was bustling with people. "Walking on the Nine-Turn Bridge during the New Year means no worries for the year." Celebrating the New Year at Yuyuan Garden has become a "tradition" for Luo Tingting's family in Shanghai.

Early on the morning of the Lantern Festival, Luo Tingting's family drove here. "What my daughter and I love the most are the increasingly fashionable Yuyuan Lantern Festival and the dazzling array of New Year delicacies in the mall," said Luo Tingting. At this year's Yuyuan Lantern Festival, various lanterns such as the golden spirit snake lantern, exotic flower lanterns, and "Classic of Mountains and Seas" mythical creature lanterns attracted people to take photos.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, the Nine-Turn Bridge at Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden was bustling with crowds. Photo by Chen Aiping, Xinhua News Agency.

On the first Lantern Festival following the successful inscription of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, traditional customs such as admiring lanterns, solving riddles, and visiting temple fairs remain the preferred ways for people across various regions to celebrate the holiday.

Dragon dances, burning dragon lanterns, "stealing greens" from the fields, and bonfire parties... During the Lantern Festival, the Lishan Han Torch Festival in Shiya Village, Dingjia Subdistrict, Bishan District, Chongqing, brings the festive atmosphere to a climax. The Lishan Han Torch Festival is a long-standing local New Year folk activity.

At the Torch Festival, villagers assembled a "straw dragon" on-site by connecting sections made of straw, adding a dragon head and tail to form a "giant dragon." The several-hundred-meter-long "straw dragon" paraded through the village, creating a spectacular sight. "The longer the dragon's body, the more auspicious it is. Those who touch the dragon's body or personally make the straw dragon will have their New Year's wishes come true," one of the dragon carriers told the reporter.

Tourists are enjoying and taking photos at the Harbin Ice and Snow World. Photo by Yang Siqi, Xinhua News Agency.

Recently, the 9th Asian Winter Games grandly opened in Harbin. When the cultural and sports extravaganza meets the Lantern Festival, what kind of sparks will be ignited?

Gao Yunzhuo, a citizen of Harbin, celebrated the Lantern Festival in the audience seats at the Asian Winter Games. "I managed to get tickets for figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey in advance, and I'm really excited," she said. The atmosphere at the venue was fantastic, and when the Chinese athletes appeared, everyone cheered them on with shouts of "Jiayou!" (Keep it up!)

At the Harbin Ice and Snow World, Tsai Hsiang-ting, a tourist from Taiwan, is taking photos with the ice and snow sculptures of the Asian Winter Games mascots "Binbin" and "Nini". "I happened to come here during the Lantern Festival, and the red decorations and warm-hearted people made me feel very welcome," she said.

New Year customs, new experiences.

"We specifically chose a high-floor riverside room to enjoy the drone light show, making this 'cyber' Lantern Festival uniquely beautiful with its technological charm," said Li Huijuan, a tourist from Guizhou, who chose to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Chongqing this year.

From the second day to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, drone performances are held every night at the confluence of the two rivers in Chongqing. Watching the drone light show has become a new experience for people to "view lanterns during the Lantern Festival." Many Chongqing restaurants have introduced "drone light show viewing packages," and riverside hotels and homestays are also promoting high-rise rooms and large terraces that offer views of the drone performances as selling points.

Reporters observed that outdoor immersive lantern festivals, temple fairs, and markets, which incorporate modern technological means such as holographic projection and naked-eye 3D, have become new highlights of this year's Lantern Festival.

In the Chongqing Jiefangbei business district, the "Cloud Heavenly Palace Extreme Flying Ball" experience project combines technology with a non-heritage market, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the iconic landmarks of Chongqing.

In Shanghai's Jing'an District, a light and shadow show brimming with the atmosphere of the Year of the Snake is underway. A towering mechanical snake is adorned with a luminous "snake coat"; the intangible cultural heritage light show "Floating Light and Hundred Operas" narrates the story of prosperous Jing'an through the lens of Shanghai-style shadow puppetry; interactive installations broadcast New Year greetings from around the globe...

"The combination of traditional New Year customs with the metaverse and interactive technology is both culturally rich and futuristic," said tourist Li Chenguang.

Li Ruiyuan, an associate professor at the College of Computer Science, Chongqing University, stated that the perfect integration of technologies previously used in industrial and gaming fields with intangible cultural heritage and folk customs reflects the increasing practicality of technology applications. "The mutual embrace of technology and traditional festivals has initiated the most technologically immersive New Year experience."

Consumption boom, ample supply.

At that time, the Ningbo Tangyuan shop located in the Yuyuan Garden Mall in Shanghai was already packed with customers, and a long queue had formed at the takeout window. Many consumers came to purchase festive snacks for the Lantern Festival.

Xu Zhengliu, the person in charge of Ningbo Tangyuan Shop, introduced that as the Lantern Festival approaches, the daily sales of handmade tangyuan in the shop have exceeded ten thousand, and it is expected to surpass ten thousand on the day of the Lantern Festival. This year, they have also developed cute-shaped "Snake Brings Good Fortune" tangyuan, which are very popular among consumers.

In the evening, at the interactive immersive restaurant Longfeng Chengxiang Xiyan in Yuzhong, Chongqing, citizens and tourists enjoyed the performance while savoring specialty dishes. Photo by Li Xiaoting, Xinhua News Agency.

Immersed in the theatrical experience while savoring specialty cuisine, the interactive immersive restaurant "Longfeng Chengxiang Xi Banquet" in Yuzhong, Chongqing, was bustling with activity on the night of the Lantern Festival. Ms. Yang, a tourist from Zhejiang, along with her family, had reserved their seats well in advance for the Lantern Festival. "I came across this immersive dining concept on an online platform and found it to be quite unique," she said.

Yang Xingyi, the restaurant manager, said that after each scene of the performance, there is a dish-serving session. The dishes are carefully designed fusion cuisine that incorporates local flavors while also catering to the tastes of out-of-town tourists. Tourists can also interact with the performers, enhancing their sense of participation.

This Lantern Festival, various regions have rolled out a feast of consumption and cultural tourism activities. Cultural and museum institutions at all levels in Chongqing have launched hundreds of Lantern Festival cultural events; commercial districts in Shanghai's Pudong New Area have introduced dining group purchase coupons for a prosperous start, must-eat list markets, and Lantern Festival discounts... providing the public with high-quality holiday consumption experiences.

On the evening of the Lantern Festival, a gala was officially launched at the Dream Grand Stage of the Harbin Ice and Snow World. The passionate singing and dynamic dances blended the pure beauty of ice and snow with the vibrant energy of the Asian Winter Games, presenting a unique cultural feast amidst the snowy landscape.

Tourists ring the century bell at the Harbin Ice and Snow World to welcome the Lantern Festival. Photo by Yang Siqi, Xinhua News Agency.

除了精彩的演出，冰雪大世界园区还为游客送上热气腾腾的元宵，让游客在元宵节感受祝福与温暖。（记者李晓婷、陈爱平、杨思琪） Statement: Xinhua Finance is the national financial information platform constructed by Xinhua News Agency. Under no circumstances does the information released by this platform constitute investment advice.

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