Traditions are at the heart of Spring Festival

This time-consuming craft won Lin the top prize in folk arts at the Shanhua (mountain flower) Awards in 2022 by the China Folk Literature and Arts Association.

Some of Lin's dragons have survived and he has one placed in front of his ancestral house so visitors can learn about this unique tradition.

"I will not allow the dragon to become 'extinct' in my generation," he says. "I want to sail it elsewhere and everywhere into the visions of more people."

One of Lin's dragon boats is displayed at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum in Beijing.

A highlight of the Guo Nian: Exhibition of the Spring Festival, running until March 2, is the boat mounted above to elevate the festive mood ahead of the Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 29. Lin's dragon boat thrills visitors with a glimpse into the richness and diversity of Chinese New Year celebrations. Guo Nian means celebrating the arrival of the New Year.

On Dec 4, Spring Festival and its social practices for celebrating the traditional New Year were added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The practices include celebration preparations, clan worshipping activities and fairs, and folk performances shared by communities across the country, with differences varying in the southern, northern, eastern and western regions. The celebrations are held to bind family and community members and teach morality, family values and solidarity. Arts and crafts, photos, interactive installations and performances featured at the exhibition give vivid demonstrations of New Year festivities.