The next stage is carefully pasting thin paper to the bamboo framework. The lantern is finished after it is painted with two coats of oil, making it translucent and water-resistant.

    The tale goes that many salesmen and travelers in ancient times had to pass by Xixing and they would buy lanterns to light their way. Hence, the lantern business boomed in the town and neighboring villages. Gradually, the lanterns from the remote town spread across the whole country and even into the imperial court.

    According to Hangzhou's records, more than 1,000 years ago all the women in neighboring Xixing were making lanterns for a living. Lanterns utilized different kinds of bamboo, took different shapes and were sold everywhere.

    Even 50 to 60 years ago, when Yu and his wife Xia Zhentuan had just started making lanterns for a living, it was still popular for young people to learn the craft.

    "Now, many young people in the area go to big cities to make money. They could make much more than by making lanterns. And the ones who do master the craft, like my wife and I, are very old and many quit," says Yu. "Even for us, lantern making is just a part-time job. We too used to go to cities to make money because we couldn't make a living only by making lanterns."

    Today, fewer than 50 people in the area know how to make Xixing lanterns and more than half of them are over 70 like Yu and Xia.

    In 2005, the Xixing lantern was listed as a protected folk art and cultural heritage.

    However, mere "protection" might not be enough way to save the disappearing craft. More commercial uses should be explored.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)