Putuo celebrates Lantern Festival heritage
Cultural venues and shopping malls in Putuo District have prepared a number of traditional celebrations for the Lantern Festival which lands on Tuesday.
Falling on the 15th day of the first month on the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival has a history of more than 2,000 years. It also marks the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with family reunions, lantern riddles and folk performances.
The Putuo District Children’s Library is hosting a traditional riddle guess event to raise awareness of traditional Chinese culture among teenagers. Young readers are asked to guess the answers from a word, a poem or a phrase so that they can get an insight about traditional culture and custom.
The event is being held on the ground floor of the library through late February. Those who guess the right answers for three riddles receive a festive gift to encourage more to participate.
The history museum of Caoyang Community, China’s first workers’ community built in the 1950s, has prepared traditional lantern shows and various cultural events for the festival. A number of colorful lanterns made with cultural heritage skills have been adorning the museum. Residents and visitors are invited to guess riddles on the lanterns and the winners can learn traditional lantern making skills from senior artisans between 9am and 11am on Tuesday.
Celebrations across the district
Caoyang Community in Putuo sprung up in 1951 as a home to model workers, a forerunner to other workers’ communities that were built nationwide to accommodate the growing workforce during a period of rapid industrialization. It has become a tradition for the community to celebrate the festival with its residents every year.
Meanwhile, dozens of cultural events and programs are being held across Putuo to celebrate the Spring Festival season. The events to welcome the Year of the Pig include song and dance shows, plays, art exhibitions and folk cultural displays.
The Global Harbor Mall in Putuo has unveiled its series of celebrations through Tuesday for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
The largest shopping complex in downtown Shanghai has been decorated with hundreds of lanterns and peach trees to create a festive ambience. A large Chinese dragon made with Lego bricks is just one of the attractions being exhibited in the mall.
Customers can pose with other Lego exhibits and a wishing tree, or take part in various candy parties and parades of pet pigs within the mall during the seasonal celebration. They can also write Spring Festival couplets under the guidance of calligraphers.
A major celebration featuring dragon and lion dances, as well as thousands of red packets for customers, was held on February 5. A grand parade about the Chinese God of Wealth was held on February 9, or the 5th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is traditionally celebrated to welcome the God of Wealth.
The event is inspired by traditional temple fairs to allow customers to experience the ancient Spring Festival celebration, according to the mall. Additional events were also held yesterday on Valentine’s Day, as well as plans for the Lantern Festival.
Booming business volume
Under the guidance of the Putuo District Commission of Commerce, the major shopping complexes have attracted an increasing number of customers with shopping and cultural events during the Spring Festival holiday. The total business turnover of Putuo shopping malls reached 304 million yuan (US$45 million) between February 4 and 10, a 24.42 percent increase on year, according to the commission.
The Changfeng Joy City has officially opened its unique rooftop sports park, the first of its kind downtown for the festival season. Customers were invited to take part in lucky draws and other interactive events to win free admission to the Gordon Park. It features a pink running path to encourage female customers to be more active in sports activities.
The shopping complex covering 120,000 square meters near Suzhou Creek was renovated and reopened in May 2018. The operator added a glass dome as well as indoor gardens and decorations within the complex. Over 200 new brands have been introduced in the new site.
With these new attractions, its total consumption rose 42.76 percent on year during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday.
The Bailian Zhonghuan Shopping Mall hosted a singing competition with traditional songs about the Spring Festival during the holiday. Customers were invited to poll for the most outstanding singer along with professional judges. Imago Mall invited senior calligraphers to write Spring Festival couplets for customers.
Restaurants in Putuo also became popular for family gatherings during the festival. Many citizens chose to have Chinese New Year Eve diners with family members at nearby restaurants. The number of customers to Putuo restaurants has increased by 24.56 percent on year, according to the commission.
As a highlight event this spring, two female beluga whales at Changfeng Ocean World in Putuo will go to their new home in Iceland.
A film about the challenging and magical journey is being filmed at the beluga whale theater at the ocean world, which shows a series of special preparations, including underwater breathing training, physical training and diet adjustment, to help the whales prepare for the trip and their new environment.
The two beluga whales, both 12 years old, will be taken by air, land and sea on the 9,000-kilometer and 30-hour-plus journey to live at the Sea Life Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary, the world’s first open water sanctuary for members of their species.