Zhanqi Fish Lantern Festival

The romance of old Huizhou continues here. Visiting the fish lanterns during the Spring Festival is a custom that has been carried on for a thousand years in Shexian County. Starting from the second day of the first lunar month, every household in Zhanqi Village will hold their homemade fish lanterns, beat gongs and drums, welcoming the arrival of the New Year. Zhanqi Village, whose name is derived from the Book of Songs 'Looking at the Qi Ao, where the green bamboos are luxuriant,' is an ancient village established during the Tang Dynasty, with a history of thirteen hundred years. Entering from an unnamed path beside the highway, you can reach the main street of the village, where every building from the Ming and Qing dynasties is a fine example of Huizhou architecture. Strings of red lanterns hang along the main street, and when night falls and the red lanterns are lit, cheers come from the crowd, and the fish lantern festival begins amidst a lively atmosphere.