According to Chinese legend, a carp turns into a dragon after jumping over the "dragon gate" in the Yellow River. The legend encourages people to strive for success by studying and working hard, as the Chinese word for "fish" is also a homophone for "abundance" and a symbol of wealth.

According to Wang Yuan, executive director of the publicity department of the Miyi county committee of the CPC, the lantern fair has been held for 15 consecutive years.

The fair starts very early — in November or December, long before Spring Festival — and ends more than a month after the festival, much to the delight of the locals, Wang says.

Miyi, located at the juncture of the Anning and Yalong rivers, is a nationally famous winter resort known for the residents' good health thanks to its annual average temperature of 20 C, daily average sunshine of eight hours, good air quality for more than 352 days a year and forest coverage rate of nearly 65 percent, he adds.

Contact the writers at huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn