The show will run until March 10 and comprises 200 sets of huge lanterns and more than 10,000 specially crafted lanterns divided into themes featuring flowers, dinosaurs and horses.

The highlight of the show is a colored lantern which is 35 meters long and four meters wide with 2002 dragons engraved on it.

The history of the Lantern Show can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD). The Lantern Show is one of the most famous folk festivals in China along with the Kite Festival held in Weifang in east China's Shandong Province.

Zigong City is famous for its lantern shows and its lanterns have been exhibited in 38 cities across China and in seven countries and regions including Singapore, Thailand and Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2002)