Hong Kong lantern festival brings global cultures to Mid-Autumn celebrations

China

Hong Kong lantern festival brings global cultures to Mid-Autumn celebrations

2026-09-22 21:16 Last Updated At：22:07

The International Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, is lighting up the city's Victoria Park from Sept 17 to 27, featuring more than 3,000 lanterns from around the world and drawing large crowds of residents and visitors.

This year's festival takes "Reunion" as its theme, bringing together traditional and innovative elements, as well as local and international cultures.

For the first time, the festival incorporates global cultural elements into the traditional Mid-Autumn celebrations, creating a distinctive festive experience.

Lanterns representing diverse traditions are on display, including Nanjing’s historic Qinhuai lanterns, handmade Hong Kong lanterns and overseas lanterns.

At the main entrance of Victoria Park, an eight-meter-tall installation inspired by Hong Kong's great banyan trees greets visitors. It is one of four giant works custom-made for Hong Kong by a Qinhuai lantern-making team whose craft is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

More than 3,000 lanterns from 20 countries and regions across Asia and Europe are on show, allowing visitors to explore folk customs and festive cultures from around the world through lantern art.

"The streets and alleys of Hong Kong are filled with a festive atmosphere during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Today's lantern festival is very beautiful, showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese culture and international lantern culture. It has attracted many residents and tourists. Hong Kong's economy has been stable this year, and people have a strong sense of gain and happiness," said Michael Woo Kim-kong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from Hong Kong.

"The lantern festival this year has a strong traditional atmosphere, and the lanterns have a real festive feel. At the same time, it incorporates lanterns from other countries and regions, reflecting Hong Kong as an international metropolis that brings together visitors from all over the world to share the joy of reunion. With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, Hong Kong is immersed in joy," said William So Wing-on, a member of Hong Kong's business community.

Visitors from the mainland were also among those drawn to the display.

"I came specially from the mainland to see the lanterns in Hong Kong. I'm very excited to be here today because the environment is particularly good and the lanterns are really beautiful," said a visitor from the mainland surnamed Cai.

China, Kazakhstan vow to promote pragmatic cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Nurlybek Nalibayev in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, and both sides agreed to deepen pragmatic cooperation.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners linked by mountains and rivers and sharing a common future.

In July this year, the two heads of state held a meeting, charting the course for the development of bilateral relations and the deepening of practical cooperation, Ding said.

As co-chairs of the China-Kazakhstan cooperation committee, China and Kazakhstan should fully implement the important common understandings reached by the two heads of state, give full play to the committee's role in overall coordination, and promote new outcomes in practical cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, artificial intelligence and green minerals, so as to better enhance the well-being of the two peoples, Ding said.

Nalibayev said Kazakhstan is willing to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and work with China to further develop close and fruitful cooperation and bring Kazakhstan-China relations to a higher level.