Small town of lantern artisans see boom during Spring Festival

Global Business

As Chinese New Year approaches, residents in Tun Tou village in north China’s Hebei province, are busily preparing fabric lanterns for the Spring Festival. The village has been making lanterns since the 18th century. These hand-crafted works were even the top choice of the imperial courts. CCTV’s Ning Hong reported this story from Hebei Province.

Lantern-making skills have been passed down the generations. Su Xiaohou has been making lanterns for more than 40 years. Using bamboo cane and red silk, he makes a lantern using more than 50 steps.

Since the 1980s, the production of lanterns in the village has expanded quickly. Almost all the villagers here work in the craft. Bamboos have become replaced by steel wire and machines have been developed to improve efficiency. They’ve fashioned over 200 different designs, taking more than 70 percent of the domestic market.

The lanterns sales are at the peak with Chinese New Year nearing. Every house is decorated and trucks from all over the country are lining up to load up on the lights.