Where to enjoy Lantern Festival in Wuxi

Lantern Festival, falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month on Feb 19 this year, is also called Shangyuan Festival and is the first important festival after Spring Festival.

In celebration of the festival, various traditional activities will be held including admiring the glorious full moon, guessing lantern riddles, and eating yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls).

Wuxi lantern riddles, one of Jiangsu's Intangible Cultural Heritages, enjoys a longstanding history. During this year's Lantern Festival, different activities are expected to be held in several cultural sites for people to get a taste of the fun of guessing lantern riddles.

Ganlu Temple

Throughout history, guessing lantern riddles has been popular in the Wuxi area for years and the most famous lantern fair in Wuxi is the one held in the Ganlu area in Ehu town. 

Early during the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722), the prosperous lantern fair in Ganlu Temple was memorialized in a long narrative poem by a local poet named Hua Shoumo.

In 2017, the lantern fair was reopened for the first time by Ganlu Temple and Wuxi Lantern Riddle Association, and has become the largest one in Wuxi in terms of its scale.

This year's event applies high-tech methods in the activity, allowing people to scan the quick response (QR) code and answer the riddle on WeChat. Each phone number can only scan the same riddle code once and a cash-filled red envelope will be given as long as the answer to the riddle is correct.

On Feb 19, two riddle challenges will be held, providing a total of 100 lantern riddles for people to win prizes.

Time: from Feb 17 to 19

Ticket: free

Address: 1 Yuexi Road, Ehu town, Xishan district, Wuxi

Public transportation: Bus Nos 712, 721, 729, 732, 810

The Former Residence of Xue Fucheng

The Former Residence of Xue Fucheng is also commonly known as Xue's Garden. Xue was a well-known ideologist and diplomat during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), as well as a representative of that period's bourgeois reformers.

On Feb 19 from 13:00 to 16:00, various kinds of lanterns will be hung in the residence, bringing back the old glorious days of the house.

Visitors with tickets or senior citizen tickets will be able to get free yuanxiao at the entrance of the residence.

Apart from the traditional lantern guessing activities, lectures on the history and culture of the Lantern Festival will be held at Lanxiu Hall in the residence.

Time: 13:00 to 16:00 on Feb 19

Location: 152 Xueqian Street, Liangxi district, Wuxi

Ticket: 25 yuan ($3.70)/adult

Public transportation: Bus Nos 27, 40, 63, 86, and 508

Citizen guess lantern riddles at Wuxi Library. [Photo/Xinhua]