This Day, That Year

Item from Jan 13, 1990, in China Daily: Sculptors from Beijing's suburban Yanqing county make last-minute preparations for the Fourth Longqingxia Ice Lantern Festival scheduled between Jan 16 and Feb 28 in the county.

The show has been a major attraction during Spring Festival for Beijing residents since its inauguration four years before.

For a long time, ice lanterns helped provide lighting for farmers and fishermen who needed to work at night.