A distinctive folk lantern show lit up Shagou town of Xinghua, a county-level city administered by Taizhou in East China's Jiangsu province, on April 8, attracting over 30,000 people, a record high for the show.

This year, the show added a water show for the first time, with over 600 cast members participating.

The distinctive folk lantern show lights up all of Shagou town. [Photo/share.mytaizhou.net]

Shagou town is recorded to have been built in 206 BC and is a water paradise. The folk lantern show can be dated back to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but had disappeared for a period of time.

In 2012, Shagou town restarted the show and it was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage items in Jiangsu province in 2016.

In recent years, the show is often held around Tomb Sweeping Day to complement the annual Qianduo cole flowers tourism festival.

The water show showcases the ancient fishing scene and technique in Shagou town. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]