On March 1, the 2026 Guangfu Cultural Temple Fair, featuring an intangible cultural heritage parade, lit up Zhaoqing city with a vibrant Lantern Festival celebration, drawing foreign vloggers and local residents into a living showcase of intangible cultural heritage.
As a vital part of the Pearl River Delta, Zhaoqing blends natural beauty with a rich legacy of scholarship and trade and has long been celebrated as one of Lingnan's cultural hubs. Every year, as the Chinese New Year celebrations draw to a close, Zhaoqing comes alive for the Lantern Festival, a time of glowing lanterns, family reunions, and centuries-old folk traditions. Marking the first full moon of the lunar year, the festival symbolizes reunion, renewal, and hope.
The intangible cultural heritage parade marked its largest edition ever, with a total of 25 formations and more than 1,100 participants setting off along a 3.2-kilometer route. Four interactive display points were arranged along the way, where even humanoid robots and robotic dogs joined the festivities, blending tradition with technology.
From ancient papermaking and movable-type printing to dragon and lion dances, local spring-water beverages, and the iconic Guozheng Zongzi (rice dumplings), the fair offered a sensory journey through Zhaoqing's heritage, foods, and products, proving that here, tradition is not only preserved but proudly alive.
Reporter: Dai Bosi
Video & Poster: Pan Jiajun
