WATCH: Student's DIY paper lantern guide to mark end of Chinese New Year celebrations
A video guide to making a Chinese red paper 'palace lantern ', made by a Birmingham design student during lockdown, has been released to mark the end of the Chinese New Lunar Year celebrations in the UK.
Yujie Li, an international student from China, is pursuing an MA degree in Visual Communication at Birmingham City University.
Today marks the arrival of the Lantern Festival in Chinese culture.
As a “master of paper ”, Yujie produced and shared a video to raise awareness of the tradition of making paper lanterns.
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese event marking the 15th day of the first lunar month, first recorded as part of the Sui and Tang dynasties, that now sees children and families carrying 'palace lanterns ' out in the streets, and solving riddles illustrated on the lanterns.
The palace lanterns are regarded as one of the traditional handicrafts of the Han nationality, featuring strong local characteristics in the design.
Lion and dragon dances, and riddle games, are popular activities during the Lantern Festival, which is observed in China and by the Chinese diaspora across the world.
Yujie Li, aged 24, said: “This was my first Chinese New Year in UK, and it was unlike any other.
“Although I was 'reunited ' with my family via a WeChat online call, other friends who had stayed behind in the UK and I decided to make this unusual New Year's Day more meaningful by cooking a meal together.
“It is also the first time I have made Chinese lanterns with limited materials in another country!
“I feel very honoured to have such an opportunity to demonstrate my own culture, and I hope this video will help to increase people's interest in traditional Chinese culture. ”