The Flames of Qinhuai

[Intangible Cultural Heritage in Crisis + Jinling Culture + Cultural Confidence + Interconnected Stories]

"A master of ingenious lanterns, with a hundred beams of light bringing spring to life." The lantern artisans along the Qinhuai River are growing old, yet they struggle to pass on their craft.

Golden light always appears in Shen Ding's dreams. Thinking it must be gold, she resolves to make a fortune.

On her quest for wealth, she meets the descendants of one lantern-making inheritor after another, and gradually shifts the focus of her career toward lanterns.

In the end, Shen Ding realizes that making money isn't what brings happiness. What truly makes her happy are the little moments she spent making lanterns as a child.

She begins seeking a balance between innovation and traditional craftsmanship, and opportunities between internet technology and old business models.

Through encounters with the ordinary people who love lanterns and quietly devote themselves to the craft, she sheds her restlessness and finds her true purpose. At last, she sees what the golden light in her dreams really is.

What belongs to our people belongs to the world. They spend their lives sending one dazzling display of fireworks after another into the world.

So that our descendants, too, can find their roots in the warm glow of lanterns.