Traditions are at the heart of Spring Festival

Exhibition builds anticipation for family reunions, celebratory rituals, regional cuisine and good fortune, Lin Qi reports.

The completed dragon boat by Lin Shunkui, a seasoned handicraft artist living in Dongcai village, Beibaixiang town, Yueqing, Zhejiang province, will be burned on the village grounds on the night of the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

The colorful wooden dragon boat will burn in a huge fire — a climactic ritual during Spring Festival celebrations — when villagers will wish away bad energy and hope that good luck will arrive.

The dragon boat, standing several meters in height and length, is called the "decorated dragon head", a handicraft traced to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Yueqing.