Why can China's No.1 Lantern Festival attract millions of Chinese and foreign tourists to visit
By February 20, 2025, the Zigong Lantern Festival had welcomed over 1 million visitors during Spring Festival, breaking all previous records. When these amazing numbers went viral online, this small city in southern Sichuan amazed the world again with its “World’s Best Lantern Festival” glow.
Praised by CNN as a “must-see global event” and partnering closely with France’s Lyon Lantern Festival, Zigong now creates more than 200 giant lantern displays every year. With lantern shows stretching over 5 kilometers of viewing paths, this ancient tradition keeps shining brightly in the digital age.
Exquisite workmanship creates eternal charm
The Zigong Lantern Festival is famous for its expert craftsmanship. Artisans skillfully mix traditional techniques with modern technology. They use steel frames as the base and cover them with colorful silk to create magical shapes. From tiny flower petals and fish scales to huge palaces and towers, every detail looks real.
Painting the lanterns takes great care. Colors blend smoothly, and the play of light and shadow makes them glow beautifully. The bulbs inside are arranged perfectly to shine evenly. At night, these lanterns light up the darkness like jewels, turning traditional culture into breathtaking art. It’s no wonder people call it a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
IP linkage activates young genes
When Honor of Kings game characters break into the real world, dancing with lanterns in a 15-meter-tall “Cloud Realm” display; when the Monkey King’s magic staff becomes an AR game—wave your phone to trigger special effects—the mix of classic stories and pop culture creates explosive buzz.
After teaming up with the movie Ne Zha, the “Landscape Scroll” lantern zone drew 41% of visitors from Gen Z. TikTok videos about it hit 2 billion views.
Now, with Hanfu photo spots, lantern riddles, and mystery boxes, this ancient festival has become Gen Z’s favorite social media playground
Looking back from the historical coordinates of the modern transformation of Chinese civilization, the prosperity of Zigong Lantern Festival is not accidental. When the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage show the exquisite skills of lantern production to the world through live broadcasting, it is not only a cultural transmission, but also a wonderful encounter between tradition and modernity. Zigong Lantern Festival, as a brilliant business card of Bashu culture, attracts the world’s attention with its long history and unique charm. The annual Lantern Festival is a feast of light and a carnival of art.
People walk in the sea of lights, as if through time and space, in a dream world. Colorful lanterns of various shapes are lifelike, both traditional fairy tales and modern scientific and technological elements, showing the broad and profound and innovative vitality of Chinese culture. During the Lantern Festival, there are also colorful folk performances and cultural activities, so that people can enjoy the beautiful scenery at the same time, but also feel the strong cultural atmosphere.
This unique cultural experience not only makes Zigong Lantern Fair a popular tourist destination at home and abroad, but also injects new vitality into the inheritance and development of Chinese culture. In the context of globalization, Zigong Lantern Fair, with its unique cultural charm, has built a bridge connecting China and the world, showing the wisdom and creativity of the Chinese nation to the world, and letting Chinese culture bloom more dazzling light on the world stage.
This might be the inspiration the Zigong Lantern Festival offers to the world: truly great traditional cultures can always light up the human galaxy of this era through preservation and innovation. I believe the Zigong Lantern Festival will continue its unique charm through continuous innovation, shine with more brilliant light, bring endless joy and surprises to people, and make this traditional folk culture shine brightly in the new era.
