Qinhuai Lantern Festival

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Qinhuai Lantern Festival

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Item No.: 498

Project No.: X - 50

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Protected by: cultural center of Qinhuai District, Nanjing

Brief introduction of Qinhuai Lantern Festival

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Qinhuai Lantern Festival, also known as Jinling Lantern Festival, is a folk cultural activity spread in Nanjing area in history. It is mainly held from Spring Festival to Lantern Festival every year.

Qinhuai Lantern Festival has a long history. According to the literature, as early as the Southern Dynasty, Nanjing, the capital city, had the custom of holding the traditional Lantern Festival, and its grand occasion can be called the highest in the country. Since Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang initiated the Lantern Festival in Nanjing in the early Ming Dynasty, Nanjing gradually began to enjoy the reputation of "Qinhuai lantern (color) is the best in the world", and the painted boat (commonly known as "lightboat") hanging lanterns in Qinhuai River became famous all over the world.

Historically, the Qinhuai Lantern Festival was mainly distributed in the Qinhuai River Basin of Nanjing. Since the 20th century, it has been mainly concentrated in the Confucius Temple area. At present, it has been extended to the Wuli area on the east side of the "Shili Qinhuai River". The core area includes Confucius Temple, Zhanyuan, Bailuzhou Park, Wu Jingzi's former residence exhibition hall, Jiangnan Gongyuan exhibition hall, Zhonghua Gate Wengcheng exhibition hall, Zhonghua Road, pingjiangfu Road, Zhanyuan Road, etc Along the Pipi road.

In order to pray for good weather, happy families and peace in the world, the masses of people in Nanjing constantly create a beautiful artistic conception of "ten thousand stars rot the sky, and a large number of people turn over the crowd" and place their good wishes and pursuit of life at the Qinhuai Lantern Festival. Other kinds of folk culture and art, such as Nanjing paper-cut, diabolo, knot, sculpture, shadow play, animal dance, Yangko, stilt walking and so on, have also developed rapidly, which has a positive impact on the folk culture and folk activities in other areas of China.

As an important folk cultural activity, Qinhuai Lantern Festival is an important space for Nanjing people to continue and inherit folk culture. For a long time, it has become an important part of Qinhuai culture. Nanjing's local and foreign culture and art run through the Lantern Festival, forming its artistic connotation. The annual Qinhuai Lantern Festival attracts many tourists at home and abroad. They not only appreciate Qinhuai Lantern Festival and Jinling folk culture, but also promote the economic development of the region.

Qinhuai Lantern Festival is of great historical significance, humanistic value, economic value and social influence. As a special cultural space in Nanjing, it will be further carried forward and passed on.