Upon the arrival of the Spring Festival, ancient cities across China are welcoming the country's most important traditional holiday, with vibrant traditions, dazzling decorations, and cultural revival.
The Spring Festival, which begins on Tuesday this year, marks the start of the Chinese New Year. This year ushers in the Year of the Horse, the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
In Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, the ancient town of Xian'gao is buzzing with life beneath its thousand-year-old city walls. A traditional folk market has opened just in time for the Chinese New Year's Eve, offering an authentic taste of Huizhou culture.
Lined with grey brick buildings, distinctive horse-head walls, and centuries-old architecture, this Huizhou-style heritage site is one of the cultural heartlands of the ancient region. Nowadays, the centuries-old street is filled with vibrant festive atmosphere as visitors flock to explore local crafts, delicacies, and traditional performances.
Xian'gao, an ancient street of Wuyuan County, has served as a vital commercial and cultural hub of Huizhou since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The reopening of local folk market breathes new life into its historic streets. Red lanterns and Spring Festival couplets hang from storefronts, while offerings of local specialties, handicrafts, and snacks recreate the lively spirit of the Chinese New Year.
Apart from the bustling market, the most eye-catching feature is the rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage experience activities, such as rice cake making, Jialu oil-paper umbrella crafting, Huizhou rubbing, and Sheyan stone carving, which enable visitors to engage directly with craftsmanship that has endured for 1,000 years.
Meanwhile, in north China's Shanxi Province, the 2,800-year-old town of Pingyao is embracing the Chinese New Year in full swing. Rows of red lanterns illuminate its narrow alleys, casting warm glows over the stone buildings.
Visitors and residents are treated to a vivid performance of folk art, including majestic dragon and lion dances, lively stilt walkers, and traditional costume parades.
Elsewhere in Shanxi, the Datong ancient city is savoring rich Spring Festival traditions with music, dance, and light. Under the ancient city walls, folk performances unfold in continuous rotation, with singers and dancers enthusiastically welcoming visitors from near and far to share in a distinctive celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Along the top of the city wall, themed lantern installations for the Year of the Horse are lined up in anticipation of a spectacular light show after sundown. This year's main lantern stands 22 meters tall. Crowned with a vivid winged horse figure symbolizing success and prosperity, the lantern is adorned with drum-shaped light decorations, representing encouragement, unity, and peace.
Spring Festival spirit permeates ancient cities in China
