Attracted by Taiyuan Ancient Town Lantern Carnival, more than 68,000 tourists have visited ancient Taiyuan county since it reopened to the public, following years of restoration work.

Sponsored by Taiyuan government and organized by Zigong Lantern Culture & Industry Group, the lantern carnival opened on Jan 1 and will run until March 8 in the county, which has a history of more than 640 years.

The 3.7-kilometer-long ancient walls have been decorated with 141 groups of lanterns made by some 300 craftspeople who designed the Chinese lantern festival during the 2017 G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. The lantern show has been divided into five parts with different themes such as the folk customs of Spring Festival, international animations, and social trends.

Around 40 percent of the lanterns on display are inspired by Taiyuan’s traditional culture, history and specialties, including historical sites, cultural relics and dough modeling.

Apart from lantern shows, visitors can also take part in more than 10 themed activities during the carnival, such as an aerospace virtual reality exhibition, a mobile theatre, and winter ice sports –– soaking up the local culture and festive atmosphere.

The largest and longest-running cultural event in the history of Taiyuan, the Taiyuan Ancient Town Lantern Carnival will be developed into a cultural brand of Taiyuan and Shanxi over the next three to five years.

Taiyuan city started the restoration project of the ancient county in 2013. So far, the four city walls have been connected and 27 of 31 historical buildings and residential dwellings have been restored.

Various festive lanterns illuminate the 3.7-kilometer-long walls of ancient Taiyuan county which was established during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Jan 14. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Various festive lanterns illuminate ancient Taiyuan county, Jan 14. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]