Singapore's Chinatown welcomes upcoming Chinese New Year with vibrant lantern show

Singapore's Chinatown has come to life with a stunning lantern display since Wednesday night, drawing crowds of locals and tourists alike to immerse in the festive spirit of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.

Chinatown's lantern display, centered around a giant snake-shaped lantern, will run until Feb 27, enhancing the festive atmosphere ahead of the Year of the Snake.

The lantern display features an eye-catching design of a snake guarding an auspicious tree adorned with copper coins and red ribbons, which symbolizes wealth, prosperity and good fortune in the coming year.

At the same time, vibrant street lights and a bustling market fair offering New Year goods add to the festive cheer, complementing the giant lantern and creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

"I love the snake under the tree. It's very pretty. The decor is very warm, and the light of the city is very nice and pretty," said a French tourist.

"The Chinese Lunar New Year is also a festival for Singaporeans. Every year at this time, we visit Chinatown to enjoy the lively and festive atmosphere. The coming year, which is the Year of the Snake, happens to be my zodiac year, which makes me especially happy," said a Singapore resident.

The upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, falls on Jan 29, 2025.

Singapore's Chinatown welcomes upcoming Chinese New Year with vibrant lantern show

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.

China's aggregate social financing maintains high growth in 2025