This week marks the official beginning of the Year of the Snake, and cities across China are ringing in the Chinese New Year with lanterns, ice sculptures, and light shows.
In Shanghai, residents are flocking to the 30th edition of the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, which features snake-themed lanterns inspired by ancient texts like the “Classic of Mountains and Seas.” Meanwhile, the southwestern city of Zigong is showcasing snake-patterned pottery made with techniques that date back thousands of years.
Here are highlights of New Year’s celebrations from across China, as selected by Sixth Tone.
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A snake installation at Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, Dec. 30, 2024. VCG
Snake installations in Shanghai, Jan. 15, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Above: People take photos of an installation honoring the coming Year of the Snake in Quanzhou, Fujian province, Dec. 27, 2024; bottom left: A snake installation in Quanzhou, Fujian province, Jan. 8, 2025; bottom right: A snake installation in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Jan. 19, 2025. VCG
A snake-shaped lantern in Shanghai, Jan. 17, 2025. Zhu Weihui for Sixth Tone
Left: A snake installation at L-Mall in Lujiazui, Shanghai, Jan. 16, 2025; top right: Bvlgari’s Serpenti exhibition, Shanghai, Jan. 16, 2025; bottom right: A snake installation at 1000 Trees, Shanghai, Jan. 15, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A snake installation in Kunming, Yunnan province, Jan. 7, 2025. VCG
Left: A snake installation at a shopping mall in Changsha, Hunan province, Jan. 16, 2025; right: A snake installation in Shanghai, Jan. 21, 2025. VCG
A snake installation in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Dec. 25, 2024. VCG
Left: A snake-shaped ice sculpture on display in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Jan. 8, 2025; right: A snake-shaped sugar figurine at a market in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, Jan. 18, 2025. VCG
A snake installation in Beijing, Jan. 10, 2025. VCG
Left: A snake-shaped lantern in Foshan, Guangdong province, Jan. 11, 2025; right: A snake-shaped installation in Kunming, Yunnan province, Jan. 20, 2025. VCG
A snake installation at Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Dec. 30, 2024. VCG
A snake-shaped lantern in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, Jan. 22, 2025. VCG
A snake installation at Jin Chao 8 Lane, Shanghai, Jan. 15, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A lighting installation at the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, Shanghai, Jan. 15, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A snake installation in Shanghai, Jan. 16, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A light show at Gulou Square in Tianjin, Dec. 31, 2024. VCG
(Header image: A special set of lanterns celebrating the Year of the Snake showcases scenes from the Legend of the White Snake at the 31st Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival in Zigong, Sichuan province, Jan. 26, 2025. VCG)
