The annual lantern festival at Shanghai's iconic Yuyuan Garden opened on Wednesday, the first day of the new year, attracting both local residents and foreign tourists.
Featuring a giant snake in the central square, butterflies in the sky, and mythical creatures, the vibrant displays are drawing visitors eager to celebrate the new year.
"We really enjoy Chinese culture. We love it very much. It's my mom's first time in Shanghai. She likes it here very much," said a foreign visitor.
"It's very jubilant and creative," said a tourist.
This year's festival is inspired by the ancient Chinese literary classic, Shan Hai Jing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas.
"Before our opening, many tourists, especially foreign ones -- including a growing number of South Korean tourists in recent days -- showed their recognition for our lantern festival which showcases Chinese culture. They like these lanterns a lot. I think our theme this year will attract more overseas tourists and more attention on overseas social media platforms," said Hu Junjie, vice president of Yuyuan Inc.
First launched 30 years ago, the lantern festival at Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden has become an annual tradition to celebrate the arrival of the new year. This year's event runs until mid-February.
Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden lantern festival celebrates arrival of 2025
The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.
The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.
Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.
"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.
Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.
Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.
"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.
Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight
