To further promote the fine traditional Chinese culture and create a festive and harmonious holiday atmosphere, the 2025 (20th) Yangpu Lantern Festival Parade around Tongji, a distinctive urban traditional folk cultural celebration, took place at Siping Road Sub-district on the afternoon of February 12. The event was attended by Teng Jianyong, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Director of the Office of Shanghai Municipal Committee for Cultural and Ethical Progress; Xue Kan, Secretary of the CPC Yangpu District Committee; Zhou Haiying, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Yangpu District Committee and Head of Yangpu District; Cheng Xiuming, Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Yangpu District People's Congress; Tai Xun, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of the CPPCC Yangpu District Committee; Zhang Zhiqiao, Second Class Counsel of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism; Lou Yongqi, Vice President of Tongji University; Zhou Rong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Yangpu District Committee; Shi Fang, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Yangpu District Committee; and Wang Hao and Yu Yang, Deputy Head of Yangpu District.

At the event, the leaders took up auspicious brushes, dipped them in cinnabar, and dotted the eyes of the sleeping lions, symbolizing good fortune. Then, they fed the lions red envelopes, awakening them with majestic vigor.

Eight representatives from various sectors of Siping Road Sub-district ascended the stage to light the lanterns. They are Chen Hua, Secretary of the Third Residential Area of Anshan Yicun Community in Siping Road Sub-district and a recipient of the Shanghai May Day Labor Medal; Yu Ding, Head of Meituan Waimai (Meituan Takeout) Siping Station; Li Qi, Vice President of the Yangpu Association of Taiwan Compatriots and Their Relatives, and an air crew member and full-time ground theory instructor at Juneyao Airlines; Jiang Defu, a member of the "Old Poplar Tree Lecture Group", Head of the "Veterans Follow the Party" Lecture Group at the Shanghai Yangpu Military Retirees Service Administrative Center, and a former professor at PLA Nanjing Institute of Politics; Liu Xin'gen, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Tongyan Civil Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. and a recipient of the "Shanghai Craftsman" honor; Ma Yongjian, President of the Huaibei Branch of the Shanghai Anhui Economic and Cultural Promotion Association; Shi Xinyun, a student from Dahushan Road No.1 Primary School, a top 10 contestant in the 2024 Yangpu Youth Voice "Little Golden Microphone" Competition, and a winner in the national primary school category of the 6th Chinese Classics Recitation, Writing, and Speaking Competition; and Zhao Yunlong, a patrol officer from the Siping Police Station and a second-class merit recipient of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

This year's parade is divided into three major themes: "Intangible Cultural Heritage Gathering for a Joyous Lantern Festival", "Urban Folklore Parade Performance", and "New Chapter of the People's City". The event was broadcast live through a combination of "offline + online" and "front-stage + back-stage" methods, showcasing the rich folk culture and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) from all angles, allowing more community residents to experience the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival.

The Yangpu "Lantern Festival Parade" brought together ICH items from all over the country. For example, the national ICH item "Shanghai Port Dockworkers' Chant" from Dinghai Road Sub-district, the national ICH item "Lyuxiang White Dragon Dance" from Jinshan District, the national ICH art treasure "Yingge Dance" from Chaozhou, Guangdong, and "Baiye Dragon" among the first batch of national ICH items from Changxing, Zhejiang, are all beloved excellent intangible cultural art forms across the country.

Before the event, the leaders also visited Fushun Road ICH Street, where ICH items such as Yixinzhai halal dim sum making, Rongqingtang sachet making, and Jiangnan Sizhu (Jiangnan string and pipe) performances attracted their attention.

The history of the Lantern Festival folk activities in Yangpu dates back a long time. According to the Shanghai Folklore: Yangpu Volume, Xiaowang Temple, established during the Ming Dynasty, was located in the Siping area of Yangpu on Kongjiang Road. During the Lantern Festival, groups of people would sing the Phoenix song, carrying paper-made phoenixes and qilins, accompanied by gongs and drums, visiting every door to offer blessings of prosperity and adding to the festive atmosphere. This folk art performance has been preserved in the form of a Lantern Festival street parade in the Siping community, forming a unique Lantern Festival folk activity in the area.

The Yangpu "Lantern Festival Parade" has gone through twenty years of innovation and perseverance, evolving from a community-initiated event to an ICH festival that radiates across the Yangtze River Delta and even the whole country. It has become a benchmark platform for ICH teams to showcase their unique charm and promote cultural integration. Since its government-led upgrade in 2005, its influence has continuously expanded. It has successively been honored as a "Shanghai Folk Art Hometown" and a national typical case of "Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Community." It has become a model of the integration of traditional folk customs and the spirit of the times in the process of urbanization. The parade, with its "parade + performance" model, gathers the essence of ICH from various places, showcases the cultural heritage of Shanghai, and builds a bridge for national ICH exchanges. It has become a bright cultural symbol for Yangpu's external promotion.