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Lantern industry flourishing in Xianju
en.hangzhou.com.cn   2020-12-19 13:27   Source:chinadaily.com.cn

The traditional industry of lantern making flourishes in Taizhou's Xianjun county. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The traditional industry of lantern making has been flourishing in Xianjun county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

Yaxi village in Qiushan township, located to the western end of Xianju, is renowned for its lantern making.

In 1990s, the craft was introduced to the village and almost every family in Yaxi become involved, said Yu Xinghong, Party chief of Sandu, an incorporated village administered Yaxi.

By making them, Yaxi became prosperous and the sales of lanterns now tops 10 milion annually in Qiushan township.

Industry insiders from the village estimate that currently about a third of lanterns made in China are from Xianju.

On top of Yaxi, the lantern-making business has spread to its surrounding towns including Hengxi, Butou and Jinyun.

Hengxi town is currently home to 22 lantern processing plants and workshops. This year, the sales volume of lanterns from the town has come in at 14 million yuan ($2.15 milion), boosting the incomes of more than 300 farmers. 

A villager from Hengxi town in Xianju county makes lanterns. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn] 

The flourishing lantern industry has also attracted a lot of residents, who used to travel to sell lanterns, back to Xianju.

One of them is Yu Peihao, who has been engaged in the lantern making for more than 20 years.

He used to sell lanterns in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region before returning home. In recent years, Yu said Yiwu, a county-level city in Zhejiang, has gradually emerged as a major distribution hub, from which Xianju lanterns are sold all over the world, primarily to Southeast Asia.

Author:  Editor:Zhang Di
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