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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As Chinese New Year approaches, Zhang Sixian, 71, and his wife, Geng Meirong, are busy making bamboo-weaving lanterns, an intangible cultural heritage from Shaanxi province with a 400-year history.
Crafted entirely by hand, bamboo lanterns require eight strict procedures: splitting, hammering, separating, piercing, weaving, closing, shaping, and pasting. Zhang handles the first four steps to prepare thin bamboo strips, while Geng finishes the rest, swiftly turning scattered strips into lantern frames.
