Vibrant lantern displays and traditional performances have been seen in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China and Anhui Province in the east since last weekend to celebrate the Year of the Horse holidays.
In Ningxia’s Guyuan City, the museum square sparkled with festive lanterns, featuring a special Year of the Horse display with eight uniquely colored and designed horses. The square also featured cartoon horse lanterns holding red lanterns and displays themed around the 24 solar terms, filling the air with a strong Spring Festival spirit and hopes for a joyful new year.
In Dangshan County, Anhui Province, the pear orchards were illuminated by a dazzling light show. Teams carrying traditional fish lanterns paraded along the boardwalks and lakeside, moving to the rhythm of drums. Dynamic formations like "carp wagging its tail" and "carp leaping over the dragon gate," paired with colorful lights and lanterns, brought wishes for good fortune in the Year of the Horse.
"The whole family being together is the truest happiness. I feel especially proud to see such a wonderful event right at my doorstep," said Wei Dan, a local.
Lanterns brighten Spring Festival nights in China's Ningxia, Anhui
It has become a popular option for Chinese people to indulge in ice-and-snow activities while spending their holidays, especially during the Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in the country.
In Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, northeast China's Jilin Province, high-quality ice-and-snow resources have attracted tourists from all over the country to enjoy horse-drawn sleds, snowmobiles and steaming hot pots inside snow cave.
"It was the first time I saw such thick snow, and it's quite interesting to shuttle back and forth in the woods," said Li Yanlin, a tourist from Weihai City in east China's Shandong Province.
In Taiyuan City, north China's Shanxi Province, ice-and-snow parks are experiencing a craze for skiing and snow play.
"It is a way of celebrating the Spring Festival for children in north China to play with snow," said Zhang Rui, a tourist.
"The proportion of family tourists and young people has increased significantly. During the Spring Festival holiday, we have added interactive activities themed on the new year such as intangible cultural heritage performances, so as to enrich the experience of tourists. Meanwhile, we have extended the operating hours in the evening according to tourist flows, dispatched more professional coaches and security personnel, made sure that all skiing facilities are available, and optimized supporting services for catering, rest and parking," said Li Sirui, a staff member of a local ski resort. The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, fell on Tuesday this year, and the official holiday lasts nine days from February 15 to 23. The 2026 Chinese New Year marked the start of the Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Chinese people enjoy ice-and-snow activities amid dense festive atmosphere
