Hunting Lanterns and Solving Riddles: International Visitors Experience the Lantern Festival at Kuanhouli

On March 2. the themed event “Lantern Viewing and Riddle Guessing at Kuanhouli · A People-Centered Lantern Festival Consumer Event”, organized by the Shunjing Community of Daming Lake Subdistrict, was held with great enthusiasm at Kuanhouli Commercial Street in Jinan.

The event drew a wide range of participants, including local residents, new urban residents, members of the new employment workforce, merchant representatives, as well as international friends from Russia, the United Kingdom, and other countries. People from diverse backgrounds gathered together to enjoy the festive atmosphere and celebrate the traditional Lantern Festival amid laughter and joy.

At the event site, 18 merchant stalls in Kuanhouli were festively decorated. In front of each stall hung exquisite lanterns paired with clever and engaging riddles. Participants followed a community-issued “Lantern Riddle Route Map,” checking in as they solved each puzzle. Moving in small groups, they traced the map to find lanterns and stalls, experiencing the richness of the Chinese language through the joy of riddle-solving.

To offer international visitors a deeper experience of the Lantern Festival, the event featured a dedicated cultural exchange segment. Alongside hands-on activities such as sugar painting and paper-cutting, enthusiastic community volunteers provided detailed explanations of the meanings behind the riddles, the history of lanterns, and the origins and customs of the festival.

Elizaveta from Russia shared her impressions with excitement, noting that the wide variety of food in Kuanhouli left a strong impression on her: “There is such a great diversity of food here, so you can enjoy eating while learning about Chinese culture. I’ve noticed that Chinese people are especially passionate about food—every dish has its own name and meaning, which made the experience very memorable for me.”

Beyond cultural experiences, the event also thoughtfully incorporated consumer incentives. All attendees received “¥5 off ¥15” vouchers provided by participating merchants, which could be used directly at their stalls, helping to boost holiday spending at the start of the new year.

At the end of the event, participants redeemed their collected “Lantern Festival stickers,” earned through solving riddles, for first-, second-, and third-tier prizes. This Lantern Festival celebration not only allowed both Chinese and international residents to appreciate the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture through lantern tours and riddle-solving, but also fostered cultural exchange and community cohesion through a shared platform—adding a distinctive international touch to the traditional festival.