Performers of the Lantern Festival event at the Ming Tombs in Beijing on Sunday Photo: Li Hao/GT

Inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) silk painting Ming Emperor Xianzong Enjoying the Lantern Festival, a live show was held at The Ming Tombs in Beijing on Sunday. The event gathered hundreds of locals to celebrate the 2023 Lantern Festival together. 

The live show included dozens of performers wearing Ming Dynasty clothing perform a "sitcom" style play. Visitors watched as performers played scenes of the emperor holding court, lighting lanterns, attending court banquets, and other ancient events related to the festival. 

Show representative Wang Mingming told the Global Times that it aimed to allow locals to experience how the Lantern Festival was celebrated in the Ming Dynasty. 

"The goal of recreating the painting depicting the special Lantern Festival was to provide fun to the public and help tourists and locals further understand Ming culture, including its clothing culture, the elegance of its courtesy culture, as well as the court culture back then," Wang said. 

Despite the ancient theme, visitors, such as young mother Hou, found it was interesting. She told the Global Times that she had never been to such a show. Bringing her children along with her, she found the show was special as it has educational value and allows younger generations to get a taste of China's traditional culture. 

The Lantern Festival that fell on Sunday has been blessed by China's all-round recovery from its three years of difficult fighting against COVID-19. For visitors like Hou, event such as this are not only a big celebratory moment, but also a great ending to wrap up the 2023 Spring Festival season. 

Performers of the Lantern Festival event at the Ming Tombs in Beijing on Sunday Photo: Li Hao/GT

"2023's Lantern Festival marks an end of the tough three years we had," Hou noted. 

"The Spring Festival is a tradition for the Chinese people, but I hadn't been able to experience it for a long time. So I wanted to feel that festive atmosphere again." 

Wang told the Global Times that the live performance was only one of the cultural activities being held at the tombs that have been designed to get the public to embrace the 2023 Spring Festival season. 

Other folk performances, such as dragon dances and stilt shows, were held at the site's cultural digital creative industries park.