Dazzling evening: Xi'an kicks off Chang'an Lantern Festival

Accompanied by cheers from the audience, the lanterns in Yudao Square of the Daming Palace National Heritage Park lit up one after another on Little New Year, which fell on Feb 2 this year.

This marked the official commencement of the 2024 Xi'an Chinese New Year Cultural Tourism Activity Series and the Chang'an Lantern Festival.

Additionally, the lanterns at the Xi'an City Wall, Tang Paradise, the Huaqing Palace, and the Kunming Lake • Qixi Park were also illuminated, along with the lanterns that were placed at the Chinese embassies in five Central Asian countries.

The 2024 Xi'an Chinese New Year Cultural Tourism Activity Series will bring six major themes and nine festive activity series for domestic and overseas tourists.

Visitors will have the opportunity to visit folk customs exhibitions, see intangible cultural heritage performances, and participate in lantern festivals, during this time.

At the event, ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as consuls from the Consulate General of Kazakhstan, sent their Chinese New Year blessings to the Chinese people via video link.

Also announced on this day were the winners of the 2024 Spring Festival couplets competition, marking the conclusion of the months-long global submission event. Twenty-four pairs of Spring Festival couplets will be hung on Xi'an City Wall gates, adding a festive atmosphere to the ancient city of Xi'an.