Display highlights skill of lantern maker
Shot by Ma Yue. Edited by Ma Yue.
Rabbit lanterns are a traditional toy and decoration for the Lantern Festival.
However, hand-made rabbit lanterns, as well as their makers, are becoming rare.
Li Jianguo, a now retired electrician, has been making rabbit lanterns for 47 years. The skills were passed down from his grandfather's generation.
It usually takes a day or more than 10 hours to make a rabbit lantern by hand. Li and his wife took up the practice as a hobby and out of interest.
The couple only make about 700 rabbit lanterns a year, hardly enough to make them rich.
Compared with product line lanterns, the hand-made rabbit lanterns are exquisite and sturdy.
Li said very few people are willing to learn the skill now, though some schools have invited him to demonstrate the art.
![Display highlights skill of lantern maker](https://obj.shine.cn/files/2023/02/05/445d2722-9027-4339-bd9a-712772404207_0.jpg?x-image-process=style/style-watermark)
Li Jianguo poses with rabbit lanterns he tailored for The INLET's Lantern Festival celebration.
To celebrate this year's Lantern Festival, Li was invited to set up a booth at The INLET in Hongkou District to display his hand-made lanterns. The booth was popular with visitors, who showed respect to the couple's passion for the traditional skill.
Li's hand-made lanterns can be lit up both by candles and by bulbs.
He was commissioned by The INLET to make a giant rabbit lantern as part of the celebration this year. The 1.65-meter lantern took the couple two months to finish.
The Lantern Festival marks the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Lantern Festival activities at The INLET include a lantern exhibition, a book and cultural production fair, as well as lane games and traditional new year activities like writing Spring Festival couplets and poem reciting.
![Display highlights skill of lantern maker](https://obj.shine.cn/files/2023/02/05/c8fc022e-1119-412c-9e3a-ad54dc1638bb_0.jpg)
The fish lantern is another symbolic decoration for the Lantern Festival.
![Display highlights skill of lantern maker](https://obj.shine.cn/files/2023/02/05/3887941f-a9de-4175-8263-1baf0a7bea07_0.jpg)
Visitors take part in Lantern Festival celebrations at The INLET.
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