This particular ice lantern, "Flying across the Great Wall" is a real crowd pleaser.

The 2014 Datong Lantern Festival, in the old city of Datong, Shanxi province, got off to a rousing start, on Feb 1, with 54 large colored light arrangements and 12 sets of ice lanterns lighting the sky above the city and adding more beauty and festive atmosphere.

This year's festival is a great affair that uses special colored lights and ice lanterns, on a larger scale than in years past, and with better visual effects. The "Flying accross the Great Wall" lantern, on the South City Wall, was the festival's largest, at 7.5 meters tall and 56 m long, requiring more than 600 cubic meters of ice and four workers who labored for almost two weeks to finish it.

This year's festival was a combination of consumption, social interaction, and entertainment, with many activities that allowed tourists to enjoy the sights and get involved.

Many companies also found it a great place to do business and set up booths to peddle some characteristic local products.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw