Shaanxi couple keeps 400-year bamboo lantern craft alive for Spring Festival
By Qin Feng in Xi'an and Chen Meiling |
chinadaily.com.cn |
Updated: 2026-02-12 20:28
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The lantern business once boomed with thousands of orders each year, but it has declined due to competition from cheap plastic and electric lanterns. The couple works in cities normally and only makes bamboo lanterns before Spring Festival, selling them at 5 yuan ($0.72) wholesale and 10 yuan retail.
Though few young people take up the tiring, low-paying job, there is hope. Tourists share the work on social media, and on one occasion, several youths sought Geng out to learn the craft from her. "As long as someone keeps making them, the craft will never die," Zhang said.
Liu Xueru contributed to this story.
