A Golden Dream of Jinling in the Lantern Shadows — The Qinhuai Lantern Festival

Every year around the Lantern Festival, the nights in Nanjing are illuminated.🌕 From Confucius Temple to the banks of the Qinhuai River, layers of lights and flowing floral shadows make the ancient city seem gently wrapped in time. The crowd moves slowly, and the river reflects thousands of lanterns—this is the gentlest night of the year in Nanjing. 🏮 The Qinhuai Lantern Festival is the taste of the New Year in the hearts of Nanjing people and is known as the "World’s Number One Lantern Festival." It is not only a visual feast but also a continuation of Jinling’s thousand-year cultural heritage. During the Southern Dynasties, the people of Jiankang already had the custom of admiring lanterns; by the Ming Dynasty, it had become the most grand festival in the country. Today, every Lantern Festival night, the area around Confucius Temple transforms into a sea of lights—dragon lanterns, lotus lanterns, zodiac lanterns, palace lanterns intertwine and sparkle, radiating brilliance. 🚶‍♀️Walking along the Qinhuai River, boats drift gently, and lantern shadows ripple with the waves. Some pray for blessings, some take photos, and others simply watch the lanterns quietly—listening to the wind through Wuyi Lane, watching the red lanterns by the riverbank light up one by one. At that moment, even the air seems to carry the sweet scent of candied lotus root. 🍡 Don’t forget to try the “Qinhuai Eight Delicacies”: duck blood vermicelli soup, maltose candy, osmanthus sugar taro shoots... The aroma spreads through the crowd, adding a touch of everyday warmth to this ancient lantern festival. 📸 Photo Tips: Enter after 5 PM to capture the soft light of sunset blending with the lantern glow; The best spots for photos are the Confucius Temple Pan Pond, the entrance of Wuyi Lane, and Wende Bridge. ✨ When the night deepens and the lights go out, looking back at that sea of lanterns, you realize: The Qinhuai Lantern Festival is not just a holiday, but a tender poem a city writes through the years. Black Diamond Release Qinhuai River