Shanghai Romance Park hosts Chinese New Year carnival

english.shanghai.gov.cn| January 17, 2025
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Visitors gather at Shanghai Romance Park to enjoy the festive upcoming Chinese New Year. [Photo/WeChat account of Pudong Times]

As a cultural landmark in Pudong New Area, Shanghai Romance Park will present various activities from Jan 29 to Feb 4, offering residents and visitors a vibrant feast of intangible cultural heritage and family-friendly carnival brimming with the flavor of the Chinese New Year.

The scenic area showcases diverse traditions from across China, delivering a visual extravaganza of performances with fire. 

For instance, the fire pot craft, combining fire as a medium and pots as a carrier, highlights the distinctive allure of century-old techniques under heat exceeding 800 C. Other fiery displays, including fire blades, fire sticks, and fire-breathing dances, turn up the excitement, igniting Chinese-style passion and romance.

"The moment the flames soared into the sky, I truly felt the meaning of the phrase 'a flourishing era of dragons' — lively, festive, and dazzling. This is exactly how I remember the New Year," said Zhang, a visitor from Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

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A New Year parade featuring fish-shaped lanterns showcases the traditional cultural heritage. [Photo/WeChat account of Pudong Times]

The lineup of the intangible cultural heritage displays is also dazzling: popular folk musicians bringing rock vibes to performances of suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument); lion dances on plum-blossom poles, and etc, all delivering New Year blessings. Meanwhile, a New Year parade showcases "walking heritage" as fish-shaped lanterns traverse time, blending vintage charm with a punk-inspired future, symbolizing hopes for a prosperous year.

Still, the elegance of Shanghai opera meets the grandeur of Western opera, conveying the spirit of China to international visitors. In particular, the Spring Carnival Parade combines retro street settings with modern dance music for a lively celebration. Traditional performances such as Shadow Puppetry make their rounds, while Chinese paper-cutting art is transformed into stylish fashion, embodying Chinese aesthetics.

Another highlight of the festivities is the debut of the puppet show Night at the Puppet Museum, which uses new storytelling and technology to whisk children on an exciting museum tour. Characters from famous paintings seemingly come to life, eliciting laughter and amazement.

The ICH market will also be bustling during the Spring Festival, featuring traditional crafts such as rubbing, sugar figurines, dough modeling, sugar painting, and lantern making, evoking cherished memories of Chinese New Year traditions.

"I absolutely love the Chinese culture. Once again, I'm a fan," said a visitor from Russia, who immersed herself in a deep cultural experience at the scenic area, expressing curiosity and admiration for the richness and diversity of Chinese traditions.

 

Source: WeChat account of Pudong Times