The Evolution of Watermelon Lanterns

Watermelon lanterns have a history spanning at least three centuries; poems praising them were penned by Huang Zhijun-a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the Kangxi reign (1680)-and Zhang Fengnian, a man of letters during the Qianlong reign (1753).
In 1985, Shanghai's *Xinmin Evening News* reported on the Pinghu watermelon lantern competition. In 1986, 464 lanterns were exhibited at the Pinghu Workers' Cultural Palace. In 1989, the Pinghu County Cultural Center hosted the inaugural Watermelon Lantern Fair, displaying over a thousand lanterns; the television art film *Tour of the Watermelon Country* won a national award, and the event was featured in the overseas edition of the *People's Daily* that same year.
In 1991, to celebrate the transition from county to city status, Pinghu held the first "Pinghu City Watermelon Lantern Festival," establishing it as a local celebratory event; the festival was a resounding success, attracting significant attention from businesspeople and the media. In 1998, the festival was combined with an economic and trade fair, adopting a model where "culture sets the stage for the economy to perform."
The festival's name evolved from "Watermelon Lantern Festival" to "Watermelon Lantern Art Festival," and subsequently to "Watermelon Lantern Cultural Festival." In 2008, the festival was ranked among the "Top 100 Festivals in China," and in 2009, the Pinghu watermelon lantern carving technique was inscribed on the third list of Zhejiang Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage.
By 2023, the Watermelon Lantern Cultural Festival had been successfully held 29 times. In 2024, the event was renamed the "Watermelon Lantern Mass Cultural Series Events." In 2025, it was further updated to the "Pinghu Watermelon Lantern Mass Cultural Series (Promotion) Events," featuring enriched content that integrates new elements such as digital art and cross-regional cultural exchange.