Red lanterns in China serve as symbols of safety, power and religious devotion, and are closely associated with Lunar New Year celebrations across the country. In Hebei Province, residents of the small town of Tuntou are said to produce about 80% of the nation’s lanterns, most of them still made by hand.
Lanterns can be seen hanging in alleyways during winter, displayed outside imperial halls and temples, and decorating homes and streets during festivals. They connect contemporary celebrations with long-standing cultural traditions.
A Town Built Around Lantern Making
In Tuntou, lantern production is visible throughout the town. Courtyards reveal villagers sitting on stools assembling lanterns while talking, and stacks of finished red lanterns line the main streets.
No one can pinpoint exactly when the craft began in the area, but residents say lantern making has been passed down through generations. Children in Tuntou often learn the skill from a young age.
“When you see others in your family doing it every day, you get the hang of it quickly,” one woman told the BBC, adding that children can start learning from around 10 years old.
Handcrafted Production In A Modern Era
Despite widespread automation in manufacturing, Tuntou has retained its position in the lantern market using traditional techniques. An elderly lantern maker said the town’s artisans can handle diverse and small-scale orders more flexibly and at lower cost than factories.
While modern production methods could eventually replicate the variety and pricing achieved by hand in Tuntou, that has not yet occurred.
Youth Migration Raises Concerns
One challenge facing the town is a decline in younger workers choosing to continue the trade. Many young people are drawn to cities and urban opportunities, raising concerns about potential labour shortages in the future.
For now, however, Tuntou remains known across China as a centre of lantern making, and residents express pride in the town’s reputation.
Featured image credits: Pexels
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.