For this year's Spring Festival, the streets in the ancient town of Shipu in east China have come alive with the soft glow of intricate fish lanterns, showcasing the timeless beauty of this intangible cultural heritage.
The tradition of making fish lanterns is an integral part of the cultural heritage of Shipu Town in Xiangshan County of Ningbo City in east China's Zhejiang Province.
Rooted in the Chinese saying "may you have surplus year after year," these lanterns symbolize fishermen's hopes for a prosperous and bountiful future.
This craft has been passed down through generations. For the locals, fish lanterns are not just decorations -- they are a tribute to their seafaring heritage and a manifestation of their wishes for prosperity.
Each year, on the 14th day of the first lunar month, Xiangshan County hosts a grand parade where locals proudly carry fish lanterns through the streets, celebrating the arrival of the new year.
Bao Jiqin, now in his 80s, has dedicated his life to perfecting this art. As a young man in his hometown of Shipu, Bao had a passion for drawing and an interest in creating lanterns in the shape of carp as his forebears had done.
After the first Fishing Season Festival was held in Xiangshan in the late 1990s - a celebration marking the start of a new fishing season following a fishing moratorium - Bao expanded his lantern designs to include different marine life, from yellow croakers to cuttlefish.
To faithfully replicate real fish, Bao has studied marine life extensively, using books and materials that focus on the unique shapes and behaviors of different species.
Bao, reflecting on his lifelong dedication to the craft, said his new year's wish was for the precious tradition of making fish lanterns to never fade and to shine for generations to come.
The 2025 Spring Festival falls on Wednesday, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
It marks the first Spring Festival since its inclusion on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.
Traditional fish lanterns illuminate night sky of ancient Chinese town
China unveiled a large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships in the coastal city of Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Friday, marking a major leap forward for the country in the field of high-end vessel marine environmental protection equipment.
The wind-assisted propulsion system - rotating sail system (WAPS-RSS), is developed by Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).
The system's rotor has diameter of 5 meters, is 35 meters high, and weighs 150 tons.
Experts say that the system can efficiently capture wind energy while the ship is sailing, providing additional thrust for the vessel.
On average, it can save fuel consumption by 5 to 25 percent for large ocean-going vessels, and lower carbon emissions accordingly.
It relies on the Magnus effect, which is much like a loop in table tennis, featuring a rapidly spinning sphere that causes the surrounding air to rotate. Pressure decreases on the side with faster airflow and increases on the side with slower airflow, creating a lateral pressure difference that generates lateral thrust.
"Standing on the deck, the powerful thrust generated by its rotation assists the ship's sailing. Our system - the world's largest rotary sail - reaches a maximum rotational speed of 180 revolutions per minute and can generate a maximum of 355 kilonewtons of thrust. Additionally, the system's intelligent control integrates multiple sensors to detect real-time wind and ship conditions. Through smart algorithms, it automatically adjusts to maintain optimal performance at all times, maximizing the utilization of wind energy," said Guo Yu, vice president of SunRui Marine Environment Engineering Company Limited under Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute.
Not only does the system's performance meet international advanced standards, but the project team has also overcome a series of engineering challenges, including the fabrication of giant composite structures, complex system integration, and intelligent coordinated control.
Compared with mainstream international technological approaches, it offers greater production efficiency and cost advantages.
Currently, the system has secured its first batch of orders and will complete actual vessel applications as scheduled.
China unveils large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships
