The 24th Mawei–Matsu Lantern Festival has opened in Fuzhou, east China’s Fujian Province, celebrating shared cross-Strait cultural heritage as the Year of the Horse approaches.

Held at a historic shipbuilding cultural park, the festival weaves dazzling lantern displays into century-old industrial remains, blending maritime history with festive artistry. Lanterns shaped like horses, fish and the first steamship built at the shipyard illuminate the site, reflecting both Lunar New Year traditions and Mawei’s nautical legacy.

Rooted in Lantern Festival customs shared between Mawei and Matsu, the event is the earliest and most regularised two-way cultural exchange between the two communities, with the mutual display of lanterns as a defining tradition. It is recognised as China’s first cross-Strait national intangible cultural heritage project and was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024.

Running until 8 March, the festival continues to serve as a luminous cultural bridge across the Strait.

Source: China Central Television