Celebrated lantern show heads to Paris

The celebrated lantern show in Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden, a staple in the city's Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations for 28 years, will be held in Paris, France for the first time from Dec 15 to Feb 25. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The year 2024 will be the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac, so there will be lots of imagery about dragons on the lanterns. According to Chen Jia, chief director of the project, the Parisian event will have a mythical theme that is translated as "The Mountains and Seas Imbued with Spirituality".

Inspired by the ancient Chinese book Shanhaijing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a book from more than 2,000 years ago, which is a major source of Chinese mythology, the lantern designs will feature a wide range of exotic plants and blossoms, auspicious animals and other legendary creatures portrayed in the book.