People play Fengxian rolling lantern during festivals. [Photo/Kankanews.com]

As a folk art popular in the Southern reaches of the Yangtze River, rolling lantern is usually performed in rural areas during festivals. However, it is known to few people that there is a hidden gem in the west of Shanghai’s Fengxian District: Fengxian rolling lantern is part of China’s intangible cultural heritage.

Fengxian rolling lantern has a history of more than 700 years. It is a folk art combining dance, acrobatics and sports and comes in three different sizes, with the largest size weighing as much as 30 kilograms. Though strength is stressed when people play the rolling lantern, the actions and movements are also full of beauty and flexibility.

Fengxian rolling lantern is a combination of dance, acrobatics and sports. [Photo/Kankanews.com]

As a fifth-generation carrier of the Fengxian rolling lantern culture, Wang Zhengrong has been practicing the folk art since 1981. He is not only good at making rolling lanterns, but is also an experienced player. For the past 37 years, he has been devoted to both the inheritance and innovation of the traditional culture. To his delight, nowadays, Fengxian rolling lantern is among the second batch of China’s national intangible cultural heritage list and is regarded as a national treasure.“The Fengxian rolling lantern has become a brand. It is now a name card of Fengxian for external publicity and communication,” said Wang.