Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Jan 22, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of lantern fair, visitors

Tangshan City, Hebei Province, north China - Jan 22, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Aerial shots of lantern show
3. Flower-shaped lanterns
4. Tourists

Hua'an County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Aerial shot of village
6. Various of dragon dance performance

Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, southwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. People dancing on street
8. People making rice dishes
9. People eating rice dishes

Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of performance in progress
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Hu Huihua, tourist (ending with shot 12):
"The performances here are incredibly festive. Everyone's smiles are so warm, and you can feel the vitality and passion in the air."
12. Various of performance in progress

Funing County, Jiangsu Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Aerial shot of fair
14. Visitors at fair
15. Vendor cutting cake

Huaibei City, Anhui Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. Various of colorful steamed bun on display; people making bun

Beijing, China - Jan 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
17. Various of intangible cultural heritage show
18. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Sun Heting, tourist (ending with shot 19):
"I was thrilled and happy when I came in. Seeing so many intangible cultural heritage works made me feel very proud. The festive atmosphere is truly captivating."
19. Various of intangible cultural heritage show

As this year's Spring Festival approaches, the festive atmosphere is taking hold across the country with cities staging different types of lantern shows and traditional celebrations.

The tradition of wandering along lantern bedecked streets is a highlight of the Spring Festival and towns across China have been lit up with dazzling lantern displays.
The first Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival, themed "Lighting Up China, Radiant Bay Area," opened on Wednesday in Guangzhou in south China’s Guangdong Province with 218 sets of lantern scenes and tens of thousands of colorful lights. This festival beautifully blended traditional Chinese and regional styles, showcasing a harmonious mix of tradition and modernity.

Meanwhile, lantern fairs held in Tangshan City in the north and Nanning City in the south highlighted their own local cultural traditions, with different shapes of lanterns set on water or land.

China's intangible cultural heritage also added extra flavor to the celebrations.

In Hua'an County in east China's Fujian Province, dragon dance performances and lively ‘hand-holding dances’ were full of vigor and fun. In Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, ethnic groups celebrated the upcoming Spring Festival by sharing colorful glutinous rice dishes. In Urumqi City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, people played hand drums and danced to embrace the festive spirit.

Visitors were delighted by these cultural activities.

"The performances here are incredibly festive. Everyone's smiles are so warm, and you can feel the vitality and passion in the air," said Hu Huihua, a tourist.

Some special food listed as intangible cultural heritage in China also played a significant role in the celebration of Spring Festival with traditional delicacies that carry auspicious meanings.

In Funing County in east China's Jiangsu Province, a traditional pastry called "Da Gao”, which dates back at least 700 years, was in high demand as the food symbolizes progress and advancement. In Huaibei City of Anhui Province, families are gathering to make flower steamed buns, a tradition that signifies prosperity and upward mobility.

At Beijing's National Art Museum of China, visitors immersed themselves in intangible cultural heritage projects from across the country, enjoying the diverse traditions of the Spring Festival.

"I was thrilled and happy when I came in. Seeing so many intangible cultural heritage works made me feel very proud. The festive atmosphere is truly captivating," said tourist Sun Heting.