The annual Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival kicked off Wednesday in Shanghai, featuring diverse collections of lanterns to mark the upcoming Year of the Snake and a special exhibition in celebration of the festival's 30th anniversary.

Opening on New Year's Day, the 42-day event at Yuyuan Garden, a major downtown tourism destination, will run until Feb 12. With the zodiac sign theme of the snake in the center, the lantern installations are also decorated with various natural elements such as forest insects, butterflies and flowers, as well as elves and mythical animals, presenting a lively and harmonious scene.

Like the previous edition, this year's show is also inspired by Shan Hai Jing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a major source of Chinese mythology that dates back over 2,000 years.

"This year, we focus more on the ordinary people. The elements drawn from the Shan Hai Jing actually stand for individuals like every one of us. Each of them — from real animals, mythical creatures to flowers — has its own name, personality and charm, just like us. We hope to represent the common people, show their beauty, values as well as demands for recognition and respect," said Hu Junjie, vice president of Yuyuan Inc.

Since its launch in 1995, the lantern festival has become a landmark cultural Spring Festival celebration. Earlier in December, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed Spring Festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The lantern show, now in its 30th edition and inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008, is showing more than just lanterns.

To mark the 30th anniversary, an exhibition on Chinese lantern art opened alongside the festival at Yuyuan Garden Malls. With 13 pieces of ancient lantern artifacts from museums, 10 nianhua (Chinese New Year paintings) and masterpieces made by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from eight cities across China, the "Beyond Lanterns" exhibition comprehensively showcases the history, folk culture, craftsmanship and the unique charm of Chinese lanterns.

Meanwhile, the festival has expanded its presence nationwide this year with lantern shows in cities such as Sanya in Hainan province, Shenyang in Liaoning province and Shehong in Sichuan, immersing visitors across China in the charm of the Yuyuan Garden lanterns.

"The Yuyuan Garden Festival is not only a folk activity in Shanghai but has become a platform to showcase our Eastern aesthetics and Chinese culture. We made our overseas debut last year in Paris, and this year, we are looking to bring our lanterns to the Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Singapore," said Hu.

As a popular tourist destination in Shanghai, the festival has been drawing travelers from across the world. And even more tourists are arriving this year, benefiting China's transit visa-free policy.

Patxi Gómez Wasselle and David Málaga Gil from Spain were among the travelers. Making their sixth trip to China and the second time in Shanghai, they were caught awestruck by the lantern festival by chance.

"The visa-free policy made the trip much easier and convenient. We were just walking around and saw it (the lantern installation). It is really amazing and impressive. We are happy to be here, and would love to come here every single year," they said.

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