A lantern fair marking the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day opened at the Garden Expo Park in Beijing on Sunday.
Running through this month, the lantern fair covers an area of more than 40 hectares with nine themed sections, including "beautiful landscapes", "Beijing culture", and "colorful childhood".
As the largest lantern fair ever held in Beijing, the event presents more than 200 sets of lanterns, including 75 large and medium-sized ones, and 100,000 vibrant decorations such as "Blossoms and Moonlight", "Panda Paradise", and "Bright Moon over the Lugou Bridge".
"I've seen many characteristic exhibits related to Beijing's culture and the Winter Olympics. It's even more magnificent than I imagined. I've never seen so large a lantern fair," said Tian Qing, a visitor.
The fair also has a street that provides a wide variety of dining options, themed activities and traditional stores.
"I'm here to appreciate the various kinds of lanterns on show and see if there are any new and innovative lanterns. Besides, there's also a snack street, so I've taken children and seniors here to enjoy the snacks," said another visitor.
Also on display are lanterns from Zigong, known as the "city of a thousand lights", for its history of lantern-making that dates back more than 1,000 years.
"We have taken into consideration the comfort and visual experience of visitors and the richness of content to make the lantern fair a place where visitors can feel the joy, the happiness and the festive vibe of family reunion," said Shen Hongyue, president of the Zigong Lantern Industry Association.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a cherished occasion for family reunions in China. It falls on September 17 this year.
The National Day falls on October 1.
Largest-ever lantern fair held in Beijing for Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day
South Korea has reported its first case of highly pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza detected in wild bird feces collected from the Mangyeong River in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Thursday. This marks the first confirmation of the H5N3 virus in South Korea and the first detection of an avian influenza virus in wild bird feces in eight months. Access to the Mangyeong River - an area frequented by numerous migratory birds every year - has been restricted for vehicles and pedestrians, with warning signs posted to ensure safety. The local epidemic prevention department has issued a three-week migration ban on 11 poultry farms within the 10-kilometer radius of the river area, and the agricultural ministry has elevated the bird flu crisis alert to the highest level. The agricultural ministry aims to prevent the spread of the virus on approximately 550 duck farms nationwide before Oct 18, as well as increase the frequency of epidemic prevention inspections on egg farms from once every two weeks to every week. The country is also facing other livestock disease challenges. On Sunday, a pig farm in Hwacheon County of Gangwon Province reported the ninth outbreak of African swine fever in the country this year, marking the first outbreak of the virus in 44 days. In response, the government has culled more than 3,500 pigs in the farm and issued a 48-hour movement ban on livestock facilities in the local area and five surrounding regions. On Thursday, Yangyang County of Gangwon reported the fourth outbreak of lumpy skin disease in the country this month. In addition, a farm reported that five cows exhibited symptoms of nerve paralysis and died after suspected exposure to contaminated feed earlier this month. This follows an incident last month where dozens of cattle and sheep died from Clostridium botulinum infections on several farms across the country.
Highly pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza reported in South Korea for first time
