The 32nd Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival got underway on Friday evening in Sichuan province, transforming China's "salt capital" into a high-tech land of illumination.

This year's Zigong lantern festival features 11 sets of large-scale lanterns and more than 200 smaller displays across 10 themed zones, presenting a spectacular fusion of traditional craftsmanship, cultural storytelling and modern technology.

Among the highlights is a 210-meter-long installation inspired by the philosopher Zhuangzi, featuring the legendary kunpeng — a mythical creature that transforms from a giant fish into a bird.

Another highlight is a 180-meter-long tribute to Chinese heroine Mulan, designed to coincide with the upcoming Year of the Horse. The display utilizes advanced animatronics, allowing the figure of Mulan to blink and mimic lifelike movements.

"The dinosaurs — it seems as if they are really breathing," said Katarina Justin Michael, a Tanzanian student among the first-night crowds. "This is the most wonderful event I have ever seen."

Breaking from traditional silk-and-wire construction, the 2026 festival emphasizes an "everything can be a lantern" philosophy. Artisans have utilized recycled and eco-friendly materials to create intricate sculptures.

A nearly 4-meter-high jinmaohou, a mythical golden beast, has been crafted from 100 kilograms of straw; a mythical qilin from 46,000 recycled medicine bottles; and a phoenix made from 15,000 red chilies.

The event has integrated advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, smart touch controls and light-sensing systems so visitors can engage with virtual singers and lifelike robotic dinosaurs in immersive experiences.

"The lantern festival is truly impressive. Every year you think it is impossible to make it even better, but somehow they do," said Gunther Lazelsberger, consul general of Austria in Chengdu during his third visit to the event.

He said that the Zigong lantern festival has been brought to foreign countries, serving as a messenger and ambassador for traditional Chinese culture and attracting people from around the world.

The tradition of celebrating Spring Festival with lantern displays in Zigong dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907). Since their international debut in Singapore in 1990, Zigong lanterns have been displayed in more than 80 countries and regions, emerging as a global cultural phenomenon.