Wangmantian Fish Lantern is a cultural tourism promotional film that focuses on the centuries-old fish lantern tradition of Wangmantian Village in Shexian County,Anhui Province. Through poetic cinematography, the film explores this unique New Year custom that originated in the Ming Dynasty and has been passed down for over six hundred years. To pray for safety and peace, the ancestors crafted the lanterns with bamboo as bones and paper as scales, allowing these fish—carrying blessings—to swim into the worldly glow of the first lunar month.

（As shown in the aerial village panorama ）/ Photographer: Bai Qingqing

Wangmantian Fish Lantern comprehensively documents the entire process—from selecting bamboo in the deep mountains in the twelfth lunar month and the artisanal crafting, to the solemn and grand lantern procession in the first lunar month. Following the traces of candlelight, we witness how six luminous giant fish are awakened in ancient lanes and alleys, how they swim past ancestral halls to pay silent homage, and how they gaze silently at the legendary “Fire Mirror” cliff. The film specially captures the solemn moment when the lantern procession winds its way toward the Red Army Martyrs' Tomb on a drizzly night—what flows along the stone-paved road is not mere candlelight, but a river of stars connecting history and the present.

(As shown: the fish lanterns proceeding toward the Red Army Martyrs' Tomb) / Photographer: Bai Qingqing

This is far more than a recording of a folk activity; it is a visual contemplation on heritage, memory, and vitality. The film seeks to explore how, amidst the rapid changes of the contemporary era, ancient rituals continue to provide emotional cohesion and cultural identity for the community. The light of the fish lanterns illuminates not only the path beneath one’s feet, but also the enduring tapestry of spirit that has settled into these mountains, rivers, and the passage of time—never fading.

(As shown: fish lanterns reflected in the stream during the procession) / Photographer: Bai Qingqing

In the end, the fish lanterns turn to ash in the midnight flames—a farewell to the old year and a prayer for the new. And we understand that true transmission never ends. It has already taken root, quietly awaiting the next spring, the next moment it is lit again.

(As shown: The lantern procession concludes, awaiting the next grand reunion.) / Photographer:Bai Qingqing