Makers of traditional lanterns in high gear

A worker makes lanterns in Tuntou village in the Gaocheng district of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, last week. [Photo by Chen Qibao/For chinadaily.com.cn]

As the Chinese Lunar New Year draws near, Tuntou village in the Gaocheng district of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, is busy producing lanterns to help decorate houses.

Known as gongdeng, or palace lanterns, those made in the village were listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

The village can produce about 100 million pairs of lanterns annually and sells them at home and abroad.