Little light for gloomy lantern sales

DECORATED lanterns, huadeng, are a vital part of any Lantern Festival.

As the festival approached, retailers in Yuyuan Garden put all kinds of lanterns on their shelves. Lantern Festival always sees the peak of local huadeng sales.

Walking on the Zigzag Bridge in Yuyuan Garden to see the lanterns and watching the giant rabbit lantern being wheeled along the streets are both vivid in the childhood memories of almost every Shanghai local.

However, this year’s ceaseless rain has meant a drop in traditional lantern sales in Yuyuan Garden.

Yesterday, the eve of Lantern Festival, rain still fell all over the city from noon and very few visitors were to be seen wandering in the Yuyuan area. The lanterns, especially paper rabbit ones, were hidden under canopies or taken inside stores.

A lantern seller chatted with other bored retailers in front of her store on Fuyou Road. She told Shanghai Daily that due to the rain there were very few customers. “Sales in past years were much better,” she said. And sales on dry days had been better than those on wet days.

At a store in the center of Yuyuan, a shopkeeper tried her best to attract customers. “We are out of business because of the rain. Our sales are far less than the past,” she said.

To catch the eyes of children, Peppa Pig lanterns were on the front line. “They are among the best-sellers.”

A few stores welcomed some customers. At Xiaodoumiao (Little Bean Sprout), 63year-old owner Yan told Shanghai Daily that he had been making and selling handmade rabbit lanterns for a decade.

“When my son was young, I made rabbit lanterns for him when the festival came. After I retired, I decided to make it my business,” said Yan. “I found some children were interested in making their own lanterns, so I prepared some DIY material packs for kids.”

Yan includes an instruction manual and his phone number in each pack so that anyone with a problem can call him for help.

He said he began preparing materials in March or April but the white paper will turn yellow if stored for too long, so it is done in November. Though his store’s sales were hit by the rain, he has an online store and sales there were not affected by the weather.

Since December, Shanghai has recorded more than 40 rainy days, close to a historical high. According to Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, the rain will continue for some time, making it difficult for residents to enjoy the first full moon of the lunar year.