HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE PIG!

The lighting ceremony of the Chinese New Year Folklife Lantern Festival was held in Yuyuan, a classical Chinese garden in Shanghai, on Jan 21. With goody bags and gold ingots in hand, a 9-meter-high pig embodying the god of wealth in Huabaolou square sent best wishes to visiting residents and tourists.Gao Erqiang / China Daily

A teacher shows papercutting club students how to create a zodiac pig in Hengchangdianxiang Elementary School in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Jan 10.Ding Genhou / For China Daily

A woman in Xinchang village, Hebei province, airs the Chinese knots she has made by hand on Jan 10 as knot producers welcome the busiest time of the year.Chen Lei / Xinhua

Pig-shaped steamed buns celebrating the Chinese New Year have attracted attention for Zhao Xiaoping, a folk artist in Binzhou, Shandong province.Fu Kun / For China Daily

4. An artist puts finishing touches to zodiac pigshaped lanterns in Baotu Spring Park in Jinan, Shandong province, on Jan 9. Lyu Chuanquan / Xinhua

5. Villagers prepare backstage for the performance at the center for cultural activities in Ershilidian village, Hutubi county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 17. Wang Fei / Xinhua

6. Children perform a folk dance on horseshaped lanterns (Xia ruo ma deng), an intangible cultural heritage with a history of more than 1,000 years, for villagers of Xintang, Zhejiang province, on Jan 16. Xu Yu / Xinhua

7. Folk artists perform the intangible cultural heritage of fiery dragon dance (Huo long gang hua),an ancient stunt to produce eyecatching sparks of molten steel, on Jan 13 in Taierzhuang, Shandong province. Dong Naide / For China Daily