Moon-themed lantern shows and a series of traditional performances have been held across China, enlivening the holiday spirit during the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival break.
On Mid-Autumn Festival night, moon-gazing is a time-honored and cherished tradition. In Shanghai, it has become popular to gather at lakesides or riversides where the moon's reflection can be seen in the water.
During the festival, the city's Yuyuan Garden created various moon-themed installations, combining them with mythological stories from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. They also featured folk performances, themed lantern displays, and special light shows, offering a unique festive experience.
"I think this is a must-visit spot in Shanghai, especially given how beautiful it is. Plus, it incorporates traditional Chinese culture, which perfectly aligns with the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival. I really love it - it's all about family and reunion," said a Shanghai local surnamed Zhang.
In Baizhang Town, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, a unique Fish Lantern Cultural Festival was held at the Shuttle Museum, a museum dedicated to weaving shuttles.
Villagers and tourists paraded along the roads and stream banks, holding exquisite peach blossom fish lanterns. The lanterns, vibrant and lifelike, symbolized the wish for "abundance every year and good fortune."
In Datong Ancient Town, Tongling City, east China's Anhui Province, the nighttime water dragon lantern performance and cultural night market have been bustling with activity during the holiday.
Dragon dancers skillfully waved the dragon lanterns, which spiraled and soared, creating various formations over the water.
The molten iron fireworks show, a folk art performance of throwing molten iron to create a fireworks-like display, was held on the river, creating a rare sight for spectators as countless golden sparks shot into the night sky of the ancient town before falling into the lake.
A drone performance was launched in Jingzhou City, central China's Hubei Province during the Mid-Autumn Festival. A thousand drones formed images of "Goddess of the Moon Chang'e," the "Jade Rabbit," and "Kongming Lanterns," creating poetic scenes together with the Moon afar.
"It's my first time watching a drone show, and I find it truly spectacular," said a tourist named Yu Duoduo.
In Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province, visitors gathered on the peaks of Mingsha Mountain to admire the stunning reflection of the Moon in the lake.
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.
Lantern shows, traditional performances delight moon-gazers during Mid-Autumn Festival
China plays a vital role in the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of future industries, said government officials and business leaders attending the China Development Forum 2026 that opened in Beijing on Sunday.
Speaking at the Symposium on Technological Innovation and Future Industry Development, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng said China will accelerate the innovative development of industries of the future.
"Centering around key areas like artificial general intelligence, quantum sci-tech, and clean, low-carbon hydrogen, we have deployed over 100 innovative research projects of future industries, unveiled the list and appointed leaders for these projects. We will continue to leverage the principal role of enterprises, vigorously nurturing leading technology enterprises and high-tech enterprises that lead in core technologies and possess strong innovation capabilities to drive the industries to advance towards cutting-edge and high-end fields," Li said.
From quantum technology to 6G, China is sharing its sci-tech achievements with countries around the world, working together to promote the development of future industries.
Business leaders from across the world said China is leading the breakthrough in AI technologies and will be fertile ground for the growth of future industries.
"From new energy, electric vehicles and high-end manufacturing to breakthroughs in robotics and artificial intelligence, China is at the best moment to share the fruits of sci-tech development with the world. In 2025, downloads of open-source (AI) models from China led the world, allowing global developers to freely access, fine-tune, and deploy these powerful models, truly making smart technologies a public good for all humanity," said Joseph Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group.
"China's complete industrial ecosystem will be fertile ground for the growth of future industries. Take embodied AI robots for example, their development relies not only on breakthroughs in intelligent algorithms but also on supporting components like precision transmission and execution parts like reducers and servo motors. A rich diversity of innovation pathways, a complete industrial system, and robust industrial supporting capabilities will be the fertile ground for the development of future industries," said Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Group.
"Not only manufacturing. So it's AI plus in every space, in every sector, in every industry. For us, we are the company in the world that powers AI in supplying energy systems to AI factories across the world. And therefore for us, the challenge is to make sure that we go fast enough, strong enough to support all the computing that is used by Chinese companies or by Chinese stakeholders," said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric.
"Brain-computer interfaces have been listed as one of the six major future industries in China's 15th Five-Year Plan period this year. We are now fully leveraging AI technologies to decode information within the brain, using this capability to better address many issues related to brain diseases. This enables people with disabilities who have lost hands or feet to control prosthetic limbs with their thoughts, allowing them to regain their normal daily life," said Han Bicheng, founder of BrainCo, a Chinese neurotech company.
The two-day China Development Forum 2026 is themed on "China in Its 15th Five-Year Plan Period: Advancing High-Quality Development and Creating New Opportunities Together."
China to accelerate innovative development of future industries: official
