As inheritors of Rugao kites and lanterns, intangible cultural heritage items of Jiangsu province, Shan Feng and her husband Guo Chengkai demonstrated their lantern-making skills at a shopping mall in Rugao, Nantong, from the first day to the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year.

A tiger-shaped lantern made by Shan Feng and her husband Guo Chengkai is displayed in the center of the exhibition hall of Rugao Wenfeng World. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

A 1.3-meter long and 85-centimeter high golden tiger-shaped lantern was placed in the center of the exhibition hall of Rugao Wenfeng World. It took Shan and Guo 20 days to make the lantern.

In order to achieve a lifelike model, Shan and her husband made several versions of the tiger in different poses as well as various skeletion and head angles.

"Making and admiring lanterns have been traditional folk customs for thousands of years during the Lantern Festival in China. There are many kinds of Rugao lanterns, most of which are shaped like Chinese zodiac and represent people's desire for a happy life," said Shan.

In order to better preserve Rugao lanterns and increase its popularity, the couple contacted the local education department and intangible cultural heritage center to promote the lanterns on campus and successfully held a number of lectures on making Rugao lanterns.