2010 Qinhuai River Lantern Festival

2010 Qinhuai River Lantern Festival will start from February 11th to March 3rd, 2010 in Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River Scenic Area of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, according to a press conference by Nanjing Municipal Government yesterday.

Themed "Lucky Tiger Year; Prosperous Jiangsu and Taiwan", the Lantern Festival will be co-held, for the first time, by Nanjing Municipal Government of Jiangsu Province and Jiayi Municipal Government of Taiwan, with a lantern lighting ceremony on the evening of February 11th.

Qinhuai River Lantern Festival will be divided into three display areas: Confucius Temple, Qinhuai River Displaying Area and Aigrette Land Park (Bailuzhou Park).

In the Confucius Temple, people will enjoy the anecdotes of Confucius, China's greatest teacher, interesting origin stories of Tiger Year and classic Chinese educative stories in the long history, all of which will be introduced by way of various lantern formations; in the Qinhuai River Displaying Area, people will be marveled at 23 grand lantern formations, which are well-designed and located in the picturesque Qinhuai River Scenic Area; in the Aigrette Land Park, people could have a taste of known and delicious Nanjing local snack and take part in a series of celebrating activities like lantern dances and lantern riddles, which have been prepared in advance.

For those who have a strong interest in Chinese cultures and folklore, the Qinhuai River Lantern Festival provides them an excellent chance, which should not be missed.

Background Knowledge

Qinhuai River

The Qinhuai River is a tributary of the Yangtze River, about 110-kilometer-long, which is a major watercourse around Nanjing City, the provincial city of Jiangsu Province. It used to be called Huai Water and was renamed Qinhuai River for the legend that Qin Emperor Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), ordered to introduce Huai Water to the city by excavating a mountain. It was very famous in history but lost fame due to wars. The water became filthy and no sign of wealth could be found anymore. After repair and restoration in 1985, Qinhuai Rive became a beautiful resort and a must-see in Nanjing, attracting tens of thousands of tourists at home or from overseas every year.

Lantern Festival is a Chinese Festival usually celebrated on the 15th day of the First Month of China's Lunar New Year. When the Lantern Festival is coming, every family will make a lantern ahead of time and hang it on the gate on Spring Festival Eve. It says that the spirits of ancestors will come back and bring their offspring good luck in the new year by the guidance of lanterns. During the Lantern Festival, lantern dance, lantern formation, lantern riddles, and various other activities will be held for people's appreciation. Lantern Festival is a good chance for overseas friends to get close to the folk cultures of Real China.