A lantern maker works on a 2-meter palace lantern on Dec 6, 2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Palace lanterns made in the Tuntou village of Gaocheng city served as tributes to the imperial palace during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The palace lantern of Gaocheng is now listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Hebei province and the traditional lantern is the main product in the village. As of 2018, about 95 percent of villagers were engaged in lantern manufacturing and related work, and young villagers have become the main driving force of palace lantern sales through e-commerce platforms, especially on Taobao. Lantern manufacturing has evolved into a unique and sustainable industry for the villagers to improve their livelihoods.

A worker moves completed palace lanterns into the yard to let them dry on Dec 6, 2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A worker moves a completed lantern into a lane beside a row of houses to dry on Dec 6, 2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Workers load boxes containing palace lanterns onto a truck on Jan 4. The lanterns will be transported to retail stores nationwide. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A factory employee quickly works on a motif of a lantern on Dec 6,2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Zhang Xiaoxuan and his wife Su Yalan make palace lanterns in their factory on Dec 5, 2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Su Yalan pastes an intricately designed golden yellow motif onto the red flannelette of a lantern on Dec 5, 2019. (ZHOU GANGFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)