Special Supplement: Hangzhou a feast for the eyes during Lantern Festival

Splendid lotus lanterns on the emerald-colored Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal with a history of hundreds of years will provide a picturesque view in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, during the upcoming Lantern Festival.

Several gaily-painted pleasure boats will run along the canal, blowing colorful ripples amid the glittering lotus lanterns.

The lantern show, which was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of the city in November 2008, will begin on Feb 8 and will run until Feb 10, and become part of a grand 2009 China Eco-tourism Festival held in the Gongshu district of the city, which is considered the best city for tourism in the nation.