Hanging festive lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a unique tradition in Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan. The craft of making Xiaolan lanterns dates back to the Ming Dynasty—with over 600 years of history—and was added to Zhongshan's intangible cultural heritage list in 2015. As the festival approaches, lantern sales hit their annual peak, making it showtime for He Honghui, a fourth-generation inheritor of the craft.

Step into the Zhongshan Xiaolan Lantern Heritage Workshop, and you will see pony-shaped lanterns front and center, with a school of Xiaolan fish lanterns "swimming" overhead—all handmade by curator He Honghui and his wife.

He Honghui / Inheritor of Xiaolan Lantern Making Craft:

"I grew up learning from my parents, watching them make lanterns. Now that they're getting on in years, and I didn't want to see the craft die out, so I took it over myself."

Every Mid-Autumn, He Honghui decks out his neighborhood as a "Lantern Street". 300 meters of colorful lanterns form a glowing corridor that draws visitors in. It's his way of turning an intangible heritage item from something "preserved" into something that can be touched, bought, and taken home.  

He and his wife also work hard to pass the craft on to the next generation. They've created easy DIY lantern kits for hands-on classes in schools and communities, blended cartoon elements into traditional designs, offered custom pieces, and expanded beyond festival use—successfully turning lanterns into a cultural tourism product with a true sense of place.

He Honghui / Inheritor of Xiaolan Lantern Making Craft:

"We've gone from the traditional three colors—red, yellow, orange—to a whole range of colors. Traditional fish lanterns used to be straight; now we've made them with curved tails so they look more lifelike and livelier. We keep innovating, hoping these lanterns will draw more people in and give this traditional craft a new lease on life."