Mulan, mythical beings dazzle at annual Chinese lantern festival

Visitors take in the dazzling lanterns at night, with more than 200 handmade lanterns featuring animals, mythological beings and scenes from Chinese culture, at the 32nd Zigong International Lantern Festival on Friday.

Zigong International Lantern Festival in China leads up to Lunar New Year celebrations

CBC News · Posted: Jan 24, 2026 9:14 AM EST | Last Updated: January 24

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People walk next to the "Legend of Mulan" light installation at the 32nd Zigong International Lantern Festival ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which will welcome the Year of the Horse, in Zigong, Sichuan province, China, January 23, 2026. — Visitors take in the sparkling lanterns at night, with more than 200 handmade lanterns featuring animals and mythological beings, at the 32nd Zigong International Lantern Festival ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Zigong, Sichuan province, on Friday. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Mythological beings and animals lit up a lantern festival on Friday, in China's southwestern city of Zigong, to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse, which begins Feb. 17.

More than 1,200 workers took weeks to construct the 200 handmade lanterns, including a 210-metre-long mythological creature, "Kunpeng," and a 180-metre-long Chinese heroine, "Mulan."

The annual Zigong International Lantern Festival will run until the Yuanxiao Festival, a carnival day that marks the end of the Lunar New Year on March 3. Check out the dazzling scenes from opening night.