Lantern shows light up Xiamen for Spring Festival

Several lantern shows have lit up Xiamen, a coastal city in east China's Fujian Province, since Saturday, kicking off celebrations for the upcoming Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on February 17 this year.

In the Xiamen Horticulture Expo Garden, the lantern show features nine themes, including Celebrating the Spring Festival and traditional Chinese mythological stories, with 31 lantern groups that create an immersive feast of lights for citizens and tourists.

Another lantern show in Fangte Theme Park of the city is dominated by a 16-meter-high lantern tower that attracts flows of visitors.

"We all wear Hanfu here, and I think it looks more beautiful this way, and it's also very interactive," said a visitor.

This year's Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse. It is one of the most important holidays in China, celebrated with family reunions and wishes for good luck in the coming year.

Lantern shows light up Xiamen for Spring Festival

Heavy fog blanketed large parts of Dezhou City of east China's Shandong Province early on Monday morning, prompting widespread expressway closures.

The fog has reduced visibility to less than 200 meters in some areas and less than 50 meters locally.

In response, local traffic authorities imposed control measures on several expressways to ensure safety. Meanwhile, traffic police officers intensified patrols to prevent accidents.

The fog began to clear at 10:00 and the traffic control on expressways were lifted later.

Dense fog disrupts traffic in Shandong