Lantern sales dimmed by the rain
A retailer waits for business at his store in Yuyuan Garden.
Decorated lanterns, huadeng, are vital to the Lantern Festival. As the holiday is approaching, retailers in Yuyuan Garden put all kinds of lanterns on their shelves. The festival always sees the peak of local huadeng sales.
Walking on the Zigzag Bridge in Yuyuan Garden to see the lanterns and watching the wheeled rabbit lantern being dragged along the streets are both vivid in the childhood memories of almost every Shanghai local.
However, this year's non-stop rain has brought a drop to lantern sales in Yuyuan Garden.
On Monday, the eve of the Lantern Festival, rain fell all over the city from noon, so few visitors were seen wandering in the Yuyuan area. The lanterns, especially paper rabbit ones, were hidden under canopies or taken inside stores.
A lantern store seller chatted with other bored retailers in front of her store on Fuyou Road. She told Shanghai Daily that due to the rain there were very few customers. "Sales in past years were much better," she said. And sales on clear days were better than those on wet days.
At a store in the center of Yuyuan, a shopkeeper tried her best to attract customers. "We are out of business because of the rain. The sales are far less than that in the past," she said.
To catch the attention of children, retailers have put Peppa Pig lanterns on the front line. "They are among the best sellers."
A few stores welcomed some customers. At Xiaodoumiao (Little Bean Sprout), which sells handmade lanterns, the 63-year-old owner Yan told Shanghai Daily that he has been making rabbit lanterns for a decade.
"When my son was young, I made rabbit lanterns for him. After I retired, I decided to make it my business ," said Yan. "I found some children were interested in making their own lanterns, so I prepared some DIY material packs for kids."
Yan includes an instruction manual and his phone number in each pack so that anyone with a problem can call him for help.
He said he began preparing materials in March or April, but the white paper will turn yellow if stored for too long, so it is done in November. Though his store's sales were hit by the rain, he has an online store and sales there were not affected by the weather.
Since December, Shanghai has recorded more than 40 rainy days, close to a historical high. According to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, the rain will continue making it difficult for residents to enjoy the first full moon of the year.
Xiaodoumiao owner Yan, 63, works on a rabbit lantern in Yuyuan Garden.
A lantern retailer stands lonely in his store in Yuyuan Garden.
