Dragon dance at the Nantong parade. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong in Jiangsu province held a folk art parade as part of its Spring Festival celebrations on Feb 14, the fifth day of the first lunar month. It is said to be the birthday of the God of Fortune, making it a day for welcoming prosperity.

At 2 pm, the cultural feast kicked off with the roll of drums, with local residents and tourists lined up on both sides of the road for the much-anticipated parade.

A folk dance is performed during the parade. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Following the dragon puppets, signifying auspiciousness, four colorful dragons and multiple lion puppets performed to the beat of drums.

Departing from the Nantong Eminent Figures Museum, the parade passed through Huanchengnan, Huanchengdong, Renminzhong, and Nanda roads, featuring distinctive elements of Hai'an flower drums, a Rugao puppet show, Haimen folk songs, and more.

People pose for a photo with a lion during the parade. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The long-lost cultural feast brought out the memories of old Nantong natives, who shared that in the 1980s, the city organized folk culture-themed float parade, attracting a large audience.

A woman poses for a photo during the parade. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

This year's parade drew an audience of over 66,000 from both home and abroad on the day.

During the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, Nantong organized some 200 activities to celebrate the festival.

Traditional Chinese wedding customs are shown at the parade. [Photo/Nantong Daily]