Anhai town in Quanzhou held its first public Lantern Festival celebrations on Feb 11, with lines of red lanterns forming a curtain draping down Sanli Street.

The celebrations came to a climax after dark by the illuminated Baita Pagoda, the historical landmark of Anhai, with the exciting event of all: attack the cannon castle.

This fiery tradition, in which local people shoot firecrackers at hanging mock castles made of paper and bamboo, has been held by local people in the town for centuries, and is said to have been inspired by an artillery training drill the great Chinese admiral Zheng Chenggong (1624-1662), better known in the West by his Hokkien title Koxinga, used to use while his troops were stationed in southern Fujian province.

Visitors admire a "cannon castle" made of bamboo and paper during the Lantern Festival celebrations in Anhai town in Quanzhou, Fujian province, on Feb 11. [Photo/WeChat: flowerstr]

The great admiral and Ming Dynasty loyalist, who resisted the Manchu Qing Dynasty and recaptured Taiwan from the Dutch colonists, is still revered in China today, and versions of the "attack the cannon castle" ritual continue to be held in his honor in cities across Fujian and Taiwan.

Firecrackers fired by local people from Anhai town strike a "cannon castle", a mock castle made from paper and bamboo, a traditional Lantern Festival ritual in the town in Quanzhou, Fujian province. [Photo/WeChat: flowerstr]

At Baita Pagoda Square, 100 "gunners" each got 10 chances to destroy the castles hanging from four-meter-high iron poles. It took the participants, mostly young men from the town, more than one hour to take down the 12 castles.

Crowds of people watch the "attack the cannon castle" contest held by the illuminated Baita Pagoda in Anhai town, Quanzhou, Fujian province, on Feb 11. [Photo/WeChat: flowerstr]

Traditionally, the castles are suspended from bamboo poles, whose flexibility make the game even more challenging. However, the organizers decided to use iron poles instead on the night due to safety concerns about the windy weather, according to the 65-year-old chief judge of the contest, who gave his surname as Wang.

Wang told reporters that he hoped the traditional event will continue to be hosted in Anhai in the coming years.

Sanli Street and Baita Pagoda in Anhai town in Quanzhou, Fujian province, are lit up for Lantern Festival on Feb 11. [Photo/WeChat: flowerstr]