Festive vibes abound at snake-themed Shanghai Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show

A zodiac snake-themed spectacular lantern show in Shanghai has immersed visitors in a festive vibe and traditional celebration in the run-up to the start of the 2025 Chinese lunar year, which will be a Year of the Snake, on January 29.

Started on January 1, the lantern show is taking place in the centuries-old Yuyuan, or the Yu Garden, which is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District.

This year's show is inspired by Shanhaijing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a major source of Chinese mythology that dates back more than 2,000 years.

The show features a giant snake-shaped lantern and illuminated decorations on the Nine Zigzag Bridge in the garden, creating a vibrant scene of the zodiac snake and mythical creatures in harmony amidst light-formed forests and birds.

Shanghai resident Chen Xueli, whose zodiac sign is the snake, said she found the snake lanterns charming.

"This year is a Year of the Snake, also my zodiac year of birth. The show features snake-shaped lanterns. I think it's very interesting. The snake designs this year are very cute. Maybe some may find the animal of a little mysterious. But I thinks they have been designed wonderfully. There are also some little mushroom-shaped lights, and the head of the snake is swaying, which adds a sense of interaction," she said.

This year marks the 30th Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show. The garden has specially organized a retrospective exhibition of its history, a Chinese Lantern Art Exhibition and an Intangible Cultural Heritage Fair.

Another Shanghai resident, Yu Qinhuang, said he likes the historical and cultural significance of the show.

"I think this is pretty cool. It's a great way to carry on traditions. The exhibition here showcases various lanterns from different regions, reflecting local customs of China. The fortune-telling ritual there is also a way to carry on our cultural heritage. It gives us a sense of ritual, reminding us that the Spring Festival is approaching while encouraging us to be better in the coming year," he said.

The snake is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese lunar calendar.

Festive vibes abound at snake-themed Shanghai Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show

U.S. stocks finished slightly higher on Monday, staging a late-session recovery as investors navigated a volatile landscape marked by a criminal probe into the Federal Reserve leadership.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 86.13 points, or 0.17 percent, to 49,590.2. The S&P 500 added 10.99 points, or 0.16 percent, to 6,977.27. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 62.56 points, or 0.26 percent, to 23,733.9. Despite the positive close, the market experienced significant intraday turbulence, with the Dow dropping nearly 500 points at its session lows.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in positive territory. Consumer staples and industrials led the gainers, rising 1.42 percent and 0.75 percent, respectively. Financials and energy were the primary laggards, declining 0.8 percent and 0.66 percent.

Market sentiment was initially shaken by an announcement on Sunday from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who confirmed that federal prosecutors are investigating him over the Fed's multi-billion-dollar project to renovate its headquarters. Powell characterized the probe as an attempt by the Trump administration to compromise the Fed's independence.

Further weighing on the financial sector was a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent for one year, which triggered a sell-off in banking stocks amid concerns over restricted lending and reduced profitability. Capital One shares plummeted 6.42 percent, while Citigroup, JPMorgan and Bank of America also recorded losses.

In contrast, retail giant Walmart led the Dow's advance, climbing 3 percent following news of its upcoming inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index. The company also announced a strategic partnership with Google's Gemini AI to enhance the digital shopping experience.

Investors are awaiting Tuesday's release of the U.S. consumer price index for December 2025. Following last week's cooling labor market data, market participants increasingly expect the Fed to maintain interest rates at their current levels during the upcoming January meeting.

U.S. stocks close higher amid criminal probe into Fed chair Powell