Preparations for the 45th Spring Festival lantern fair at the World's Best Spring Scenic Area in Jinan are drawing to a close. The fair, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage (ICH) project of Shandong province, blends many Shandong cultural elements such as the cloisonne enamel, gourd pyrography, and the costumes of Lyu Opera, which is one of the eight major Chinese opera genres and the most representative local opera in Shandong. In 2008, it was listed as a national ICH by the Ministry of Culture.

A horse-shape lantern is put up in celebration of the Year of the Horse. [Photo/Dazhong News]