Dragon lanterns to light up night

With 68 dragon-inspired lanterns set around the main square of Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai's popular tourist attraction is predicted to draw a crowd of more than 300,000 people by the end of the day, as hundreds of thousands of local residents gather at the 5.3-hectare site to celebrate Lantern Festival, authorities said Sunday.

The annual tradition for the occasion continues for its 18th year today, on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, when holiday lanterns will brighten up the night sky to mark Lantern Festival.

"The biggest dragon-shaped lantern is 10 meters high and 60 meters long - and it weighs some three tons," a marketing officer for Yuyuan Garden, who asked not to be named, told the Global Times Sunday. "It's definitely a must-see.

"There will also be plenty of exhibits to see and riddles for people to solve for prizes," she added. "We welcome families and friends to come and join the festivities."

Extra police officers will continue to patrol the site today to control crowds, which surpassed a volume of 450,000 people last year on Lantern Festival. And to further help keep a lid on the volume of nighttime visitors, adults and children will once again be charged 50 yuan ($7.90) and 30 yuan, respectively, to enter the grounds past 5 pm, said the officer.

Local traffic authorities are also advising the public to mind traffic in the area, especially between the peak hours of 6 pm and 8 pm, when road congestion is expected to be worst.

About 1 million people have toured the Lantern Festival site - that boasts some 700 years of history - since it opened Friday with this year's festive decorations, said authorities.

Listed among the country's intangible cultural heritages in 2010, Yuyuan Garden's Lantern Festival is among several public events celebrating the occasion today, including Shanghai Botanical Garden's flower show, a calligraphy social in Chongming county and a riddle competition in Jinshan district.

Lantern Festival also signals the onset of a new travel rush period, with another round of commuters, mostly from nearby provinces, expected to return to the city tomorrow, local rail authorities said Sunday.