During the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that began on Tuesday, celebrations and festival events featuring folklore and traditions are being held across China to usher in the Year of the Snake and entertain tourists and visitors from near and far.
The annual Wuhou Shrine Grand Temple Fair in the southwestern city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province has delivered immersive experiences to visitors. As the Shrine commemorates one of China's best-known statesmen Zhuge Liang from China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), dozens of themed lantern displays presenting classic stories of the era are bringing the history back to life.
In Zhangzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, visitors are treated with intangible cultural heritage performances and activities showcasing traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Alongside the exhibitions, restaurants and food stalls are also drawing large crowds to enjoy local delicacies that have been appreciated in the city for long.
In east China's Weihai City of Shandong Province, snowy coastal scenes and performances fusing local culture are attracting visitors to join local Spring Festival celebrations, with dragon and lion dances, gongs and drums adding to the festive vibes.
Local residents in Haoshan Town of east China's Jiangxi Province are celebrating the Chinese New Year with a spectacular dragon dance performed with a huge dragon structure which stretches for an astonishing 110 meters.
As a part of the local Spring Festival tradition, the dragon dance is to bring a joyful festive ambiance, and also a ritual to pray for favorable weather that leads to bountiful harvests throughout the Year of the Snake.
According to the leader of the dragon dance team, they are touring nearby villages to deliver performances for more than two weeks during the Spring Festival period.
Events featuring folklore, traditions held across China to boost tourism during Spring Festival
The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon has risen to 634, including 91 children and 47 women, while 1,586 people have been wounded, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine said at a televised press briefing on Wednesday.
According to Nasreddine, the ongoing hostilities have also severely affected the health sector. He reported 22 attacks on medical facilities and services, including incidents targeting Red Cross ambulances.
The minister added that 15 health workers have been killed and 45 others wounded since the escalation began.
Meanwhile, the conflict has displaced 816,000 Lebanese, according to figures announced by Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed at the same press briefing.
Sayed said that 816,000 people have registered on the ministry's relief platform as displaced. Of them, about 126,000 people are currently sheltering in 589 designated centers across the country.
Sayed added that the government is working on the ground to guide displaced families to available centers and arrange transportation to ensure they reach safe locations.
At least 17 people were injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple areas in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported Wednesday.
In retaliation, Hezbollah started the "Al-Asf Al-Ma'koul" operations, launching rockets intensively toward northern Israel, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
The group said it launched rocket salvos at multiple Israeli military sites, including the Northern Command headquarters at the Dado base, the Ein Zeitim base, and targets near Safed, Kiryat Shmona, Nahariyya, Haifa, and Lake Tiberias.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it began a "large-scale attack wave of strikes" on Beirut's southern suburb on Wednesday night in response to Hezbollah's rocket launches.
On March 2, Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov 27, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army launched what it described as an "offensive military campaign" against Hezbollah, carrying out intense airstrikes on multiple Lebanese areas and border ground incursions.
Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon rises to 634
