Yuanxiao (Lantern Festival), the Real Chinese Valentine's Day

This year, February 14th is both Valentine's Day and the third day of the Lunar New Year. People say: those with lovers spend it with their lovers, those without spend it with family, or bring their lover home to celebrate together~ As for me, I have a boyfriend but could only spend it with my family, because due to the pandemic, many places encouraged staying put for the New Year, and I couldn't reunite with my boyfriend. But compared to last year's Spring Festival, the pandemic situation is less tense. With proper precautions, we could still go out and have some fun, soaking in the festive atmosphere. My family and I chose Kunming Sunac Dianchi Houhai nearby. I just wanted to take a walk, but unexpectedly we had a great time, making up for my small disappointment of not having my lover by my side on Valentine's Day. A Valentine's Day full of New Year flavor had its own charm. Thanks to Kunming Sunac Dianchi Houhai for the Valentine's Day surprise—it exceeded my expectations. I never knew Kunming had such an interesting place!

After the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival followed closely.

The Lantern Festival is one of China's traditional festivals. The formation of traditional festivals is a process of long-term accumulation and cohesion of a nation's and country's history and culture. Celebrating traditional festivals is also a process of inheriting China's excellent history and culture. It not only allows us to gain knowledge and learn lessons during the festival but also helps to highlight culture, promote virtues, cultivate sentiments, and carry forward traditions.

The Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, Little New Year, Yuanxi, or Shangyuan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The first month is the Yuan month of the lunar calendar, and the ancients called 'night' 'xiao'. The 15th day of the first month is the first full moon night of the year, so it is called 'Yuanxiao Festival'. We have the custom of hanging and viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival, commonly referred to as the 'Lantern Festival'. It just so happened that I reunited with my boyfriend, so I wanted to make up for the Valentine's Day I missed with the Lantern Festival. Naturally, I chose Kunming Sunac Dianchi Houhai as the place to celebrate the Lantern Festival, looking for little surprises. Off we go~

Transportation: At 11:00 in the morning, we drove from our residence (High-tech Zone) and arrived in twenty minutes.

We were starving when we arrived at Sunac Dianchi Houhai, just in time for lunch. Entering through March Square and crossing the wind and rain bridge, we found a very distinctive Japanese restaurant called 'Hu'. They happened to have a promotion, offering half price. It was such a good deal! With a try-it-out attitude, we ordered a main dish, sashimi, sushi, side dishes, and dessert. I highly recommend their side dishes at 5 yuan per serving—there were mustard raw squid and clams. They were generously portioned and absolutely delicious. Picking up a piece of squid and putting it in my mouth, the meat was firm and tender, with a slightly tipsy mustard flavor and a hint of radish fragrance bursting from my mouth to my nose. The more I chewed, the more fragrant it became—truly amazing. The Wagyu beef sushi was also freshly grilled; the beef was so fragrant. Although it was 19 yuan for two big bites, it was worth it! It hit the taste buds of a foodie. I will definitely come back even if there's no discount next time. I'm in love, so in love.

After eating, we started strolling and snacking. The blocks were full of New Year flavor—decorative lanterns hung everywhere, and the squares were filled with dolls dressed as Fuwa. There were also ethnic performances from time to time. The place was packed with people, bustling with excitement! Sure enough, there were the Matchmaking Tree and lantern riddle guessing games that I had been expecting. My boyfriend and I tried guessing the riddles, but we couldn't figure them out no matter how much we guessed. Still, it was a lot of fun.

The Lantern Festival at Kunming Sunac Dianchi Houhai was the real Valentine's Day. We had a wonderful time~