600 colorful fish lights meander and relay in the air, forming a majestic “dragon” that stretches for 100 meters. Tourists compete to take photos next to the dragon. On February 11th, in Yucun, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, the hustle and bustle of the countryside came during the Spring Festival.
“This is the ‘common prosperity relay’ and also the main lantern of our lantern festival.” Ding Wenwen, one of the planners of this New Year’s lantern festival, said that the ‘colorful fish’ dragon lantern symbolizes the builders of beautiful rural areas wandering in the wave of rural revitalization, gathering together in a relay to form a soaring dragon. In recent years, Yucun has actively promoted the “Yucun Global Partnership Plan”, which has attracted many young people and rural areas to travel in both directions. The 9 sets of 11 original dragon lanterns displayed this time were designed for the first time by Yucun Global Partners and young cartoonists. Each set of dragon lanterns contains stories of Yucun’s development and youth participation in rural revitalization.
In front of more than 10 new cultural and tourism venues, such as the Impression Youth Library, Qinglai Collection, Xiangyin Small Hall, Partner’s Home, and Yucun Post Office, there are dragon lanterns with different themes. Some “dragons” leisurely sit on chairs playing guitar, while others take a fashionable stroll in the village on a balance bike. “It’s the first time I’ve seen so many new formats and scenery in the countryside, paired with a dragon lantern exhibition, which feels very fresh and interesting.” She ordered a cup of coffee at the Yucun Township Music Center and Shanghai tourist Qi Lili kept taking selfies with her phone.
“The dragon lantern at the entrance of my store is called ‘Dragon Singing Chengxiang’, displaying a joyful and low singing posture of a dragon. It represents the beautiful lifestyle that Yucun has created for young people, allowing them to freely showcase their talents in the countryside.” Huang Bin, the manager of Yucun Township Music Hall, said that “youth power” has become the new label of Yucun.
It is reported that the Yucun New Year Lantern Festival will continue until March 11th. During the holiday, there will be a series of rich and interesting lantern festival supporting activities such as intangible cultural heritage street walking, Gongfu Market, music parties, fantasy tours, influencer check-in, and New Year’s cuisine, bringing tourists a youthful, lively, fresh, and interesting cultural feast.
