Traditional fish lanterns illuminate night sky of ancient Chinese town

For this year's Spring Festival, the streets in the ancient town of Shipu in east China have come alive with the soft glow of intricate fish lanterns, showcasing the timeless beauty of this intangible cultural heritage.

The tradition of making fish lanterns is an integral part of the cultural heritage of Shipu Town in Xiangshan County of Ningbo City in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Rooted in the Chinese saying "may you have surplus year after year," these lanterns symbolize fishermen's hopes for a prosperous and bountiful future.

This craft has been passed down through generations. For the locals, fish lanterns are not just decorations -- they are a tribute to their seafaring heritage and a manifestation of their wishes for prosperity.

Each year, on the 14th day of the first lunar month, Xiangshan County hosts a grand parade where locals proudly carry fish lanterns through the streets, celebrating the arrival of the new year.

Bao Jiqin, now in his 80s, has dedicated his life to perfecting this art. As a young man in his hometown of Shipu, Bao had a passion for drawing and an interest in creating lanterns in the shape of carp as his forebears had done.

After the first Fishing Season Festival was held in Xiangshan in the late 1990s - a celebration marking the start of a new fishing season following a fishing moratorium - Bao expanded his lantern designs to include different marine life, from yellow croakers to cuttlefish.

To faithfully replicate real fish, Bao has studied marine life extensively, using books and materials that focus on the unique shapes and behaviors of different species.

Bao, reflecting on his lifelong dedication to the craft, said his new year's wish was for the precious tradition of making fish lanterns to never fade and to shine for generations to come.

The 2025 Spring Festival falls on Wednesday, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

It marks the first Spring Festival since its inclusion on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.

Traditional fish lanterns illuminate night sky of ancient Chinese town

The development of China-Russia ties is not for the short run, but based on long-term strategic interests, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said on Sunday.

Zhang made the remarks when responding to a query about major-country relations in an interview with Phoenix TV in Beijing.

"The China-Russia relationship enjoys a high level of political mutual trust, a solid political foundation, and well-established communication mechanisms, guaranteed particularly by mechanisms for high-level exchanges. Because of the broad interests shared between both sides, the development of bilateral relations has a promising future, without the need for us to worry about what could go wrong," Zhang said.

"As for whether Russia-U.S. relations could affect China-Russia relations, I'd say they are like two lines independent from each other. It is up to Russia and the United States to decide how they develop their relations. The development of China-Russia ties is not for the short run, but based on long-term strategic considerations," he added.

Zhang said China and Russia, as two neighboring countries, persist in pursuing good neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and strategic coordination in developing their ties.

"China and Russia develop our relations based on shared interests. The two are neighbors and also major countries. They are the only two countries among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council that share a border. Therefore, maintaining good neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and strategic coordination is an inevitable choice for us," said the ambassador.

Development of China-Russia ties based on long-term strategic interests: ambassador