Yangpu lights up with vibrant lantern festival parade
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei. Subtitles by Jiang Xiaowei.
Overseas students perform at the Yangpu District's annual Lantern Festival fair and parade.
Thousands of residents and tourists crowded a street in Yangpu District on Saturday for its traditional lantern fair and parades.
Traditional performances, including many of the UN-designated categories of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) from across the Yangtze River Delta region, were performed along Sujiatun Road in Siping Road Subdistrict, which has been recognized as a national model for "ICH in the Community."
The event offered a fest of folk dances, martial arts, and heritage foods, marking a vibrant return to post-pandemic cultural festivities.
International students, wearing traditional hanfu (traditional Han-style attire), participated in traditional crafts and sampling of heritage foods.
Maral Halmuhammedowa from Turkmenistan, studying at Tongji University, expressed her excitement to Shanghai Daily.
"Participating in such a festive and traditional holiday was truly exciting, leaving behind memorable memories," she said.
The traditional dragon dance team from Shanghai's Sanlin Town in Pudong New Area parade along Sujiatun Road in Yangpu.
Bayram Mirzaaliev, a Russian postgraduate at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, praised the celebrations.
"We observe a diverse mix of participants – young children to senior citizens, encompassing all of Shanghai's demographics," said Mirzaaliev.
"It's a delightful way to celebrate the holiday. I hope we can foster this kind of traditional celebration in Russia as well."
Nearly 500 performers from 24 teams, dressed in vibrant costumes, danced through the street, with performances including dragon and lion dances from Pudong's Sanlin Town, performances by the rolling lamp team of outlying Fengxian, and a portrayal of Shanghai port's dockworker singing culture.
More than 40 ICH inheritors hosted cultural interaction booths, allowing residents to participate in and deeply experience ICH culture.
The festival's most popular attractions included traditional folk stalls offering candied haws, dough figurines, sugar paintings, and tangyuan (glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or salty fillings), attracting long queues.
Traditional sugar painting attracts a crowd.
