Anhui age-old village spreads fish lantern mania

Tourists watch a fish lantern performance in Huangshan, Anhui province, on Dec 31. (SHI YALEI/CHINA DAILY)

During China's recently concluded Spring Festival holiday, Zhanqi, an ancient village in Shexian county, Huangshan, East China's Anhui province, found itself in the global spotlight. The village's breathtaking fish lantern performances, an 800-year-old tradition, exploded in popularity, captivating millions worldwide.

As of Friday, a hashtag featuring the lanterns had amassed over 270 million views across various social media platforms and short video submissions featuring the dazzling fish lantern dances, which skyrocketed by 168 percent during Spring Festival.

This propelled a 457 percent surge in visitors to the village during the period. Tourism-related spending in Shexian — including dining, accommodation and entertainment — surged 458 percent year-on-year.

As night falls, the sound of drums fills the air as a fish-shaped lantern, followed by a procession of smaller ones, meanders through the streets of Zhanqi. The colorful festive lantern and other illuminating objects not only attract young people back to their hometown and tens of thousands of tourists nationwide to flood the small village, but also illuminate a path to the future for its residents.

Within the crowd, Zheng Dongjiao — a 45-year-old villager who serves as the "head fish" — leads the procession of lanterns, sometimes cheering on those behind him.

Traditionally, respected elders held the position of "head fish", but in recent years, younger participants who have ventured afar only to return to their hometown have taken on the role voluntarily.

With a deep passion for preserving this unique heritage, Zheng has recruited young people returning home, standardized performance movements, and used various means — livestreaming, commercial performances and even volunteering as a tour guide — to spread awareness.

"It has become an emotional connection. Such an energetic custom has attracted more young villagers like me back home, and also young tourists flooding in to experience an aspect of traditional Chinese culture," he said.

Every year, villagers in Zhanqi hold fish lantern parades. The mountain village, once predominantly consisting of wooden structures, faced the risk of frequent fires in old times. Therefore, villagers used to gather to parade with fish lanterns signifying "water overcoming fire".

Over time, such a tradition has evolved into a means for locals to gather together to wish one another good health and prosperity. Fish lanterns were recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

The growing popularity of Zhanqi has sparked a movement to preserve and commercialize the tradition in a sustainable way.

Yu Xuewu, an official of Shexian bureau of culture, tourism and sports, said: "Moving forward, we will fully leverage the holiday economy by implementing a reservation system and issuing official announcements and guides on experiencing the Zhanqi fish lanterns."

Yu said Shexian will also integrate fish lantern performances into iconic attractions to ensure that tourists can fully immerse themselves.

Over the long term, the local government plans to build platforms, cultivate industries and expand creative models to develop fish lanterns into a sustainable cultural IP.

By blending heritage, tourism and digital storytelling, Shexian aims to turn its ancient traditions into a thriving modern industry — one that continues to captivate audiences far beyond the village where it all began, he added.