Lanterns are already lighting up cities in South China, as the lantern fair ushers in the festive countdown to Spring Festival.

With a history of more than 1,700 years, this iconic celebration is one of China's major national-level intangible cultural heritage events. Exhibition zones are racing toward final installation, while the early glow of some lanterns is already setting the mood for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

A lantern festival lighting ceremony took place in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday. This year's festival blends Eastern mythology with contemporary light and shadow artistry. Residents and visitors flocked to the venue to capture photos, with iconic auspicious beast lantern displays such as the nine-tailed fox and Qilin illuminating the night sky.

In Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, a large-scale artistic installation of a flying horse drew crowds of residents on Sunday. The piece, unveiled in mid-January to welcome the upcoming Lunar Year of the Horse, features a pearly-white flying horse crafted using intangible cultural heritage clay modelling techniques. Its wings, measuring nearly four meters in length and adorned with purple flowing silk, incorporate 3D printing and cloisonné gilding.