Lights On! - for Lantern Festival ( a Photostory)

With the start of Chinese new year, the Spring Festival season begins in China. It lasts 15 days and during that time you never know when walking around the streets whether someone is about to shoot you up in the air with a rocket or if you if you get a good night sleep. The whole country is in celebration mood. It´s great!

This year it was a little extra special because we entered the year of the (water) dragon. Of all Chinese symbols this is the most important one standing for wisdom, intelligence, enlightenment, energy, leadership, good fortune, optimism and success. For anyone who is planning on having children- this is the year you want to start a family.
I read somewhere that China is expecting to see an increased birthrate of 10-20%!! (of 1,4 Billion People) . Anyone working in the nappy-industry? This is where you want to be NOW!

Anyway...
So the 15th day after Chinese New Year is the last day of Spring festival and celebrated big style with the Lanternfestival which marks also the start of spring. (Funnily enough the temperatures dropped drastically straight afterwards).

The place to be for this event and to see  the lights is Yu Yuan Garden in Old Shanghai. It is THE tourist attraction in Shanghai and famous for it´s Chinese architecture. It is also home of the oldest teahouse in Shanghai and set amontst one of the most famous Chinese gardens in the country.
It also contains usually squizillion people and tourists...

So when I left school to go there I was mentally prepared for seeing the place from a "sandwich perspective". However it was cold, windy and tipping it down with rain all day long - which was great because this way Yu Yuan garden was - relatively spoken - quiet.

By the time the lights were switched on at 6pm the rain had stopped and I could not help but feeling ever so overwhelmed with what I saw. It was truely beautiful. And even I started feeling like a little Child wondering  through Disney Land at night.

Come with me and experience this Chinese fairytale in a photostory I put together:

3...2...1... Lights ON! (Click HERE!)