Discovering Beaded Lanterns: Shining Jewelry Art from China’s Intangible Heritage

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Today, let’s get to know a beautiful traditional Chinese craft—beaded lanterns, which are also called “非遗珠灯 (fēi yí zhū dēng).” We’ll learn what beaded lanterns are, some useful Chinese keywords, and common sentences you can use to talk about them. Let’s take a look!

Cultural Introduction

“非遗 (fēi yí)” means “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” This refers to things like dance, music, festivals, and handicrafts that people need to practice and pass down from generation to generation.

“珠灯 (zhū dēng)” is a lantern made by stringing together many small beads. Beaded lanterns are especially popular in places like Guangdong and Hong Kong in China. Making a beaded lantern takes a lot of patience and skill. Artisans “工匠( gōng jiàng)" use their hands to string glass or ceramic beads one by one on metal wires, creating beautiful and complex patterns. When you turn on the lantern, the light shines through the colorful beads, making the lantern look sparkling and warm—like a glowing piece of jewelry.

In the past, beaded lanterns were often used at important events, such as weddings, Chinese New Year, and temple festivals. They stand for brightness, good luck “吉祥( jí xiáng)", and family reunion “团圆( tuán yuán)". People believe beaded lanterns can bring good fortune. Because making these lanterns is difficult to learn and fewer young people are learning the skill, it is now protected as an “intangible cultural heritage” project.

Keywords

  • 非遗 (fēi yí): Intangible Cultural Heritage  
  • 珠灯 (zhū dēng): beaded lantern  
  • 手工 (shǒu gōng): handmade, handwork  
  • 工匠 (gōng jiàng): artisan, craftsman  
  • 传承 (chuán chéng): to pass down (a skill or tradition)  
  • 吉祥 (jí xiáng): lucky, auspicious  
  • 团圆 (tuán yuán): reunion (of family)  
  • 璀璨 (cuǐ càn): bright and dazzling  
  • 晶莹剔透 (jīng yíng tī tòu): sparkling and crystal clear  

Useful Sentences

You can use these sentences to introduce or talk about beaded lanterns.

  1. 珠灯是一种美丽的中国传统工艺品。  
    zhū dēng shì yī zhǒng měi lì de zhōng guó chuán tǒng gōng yì pǐn.  
    Beaded lanterns are a beautiful traditional Chinese craft.
  2. 珠灯是非物质文化遗产。  
    zhū dēng shì fēi wù zhì wén huà yí chǎn.  
    Beaded lanterns are an intangible cultural heritage.
  3. 每一盏珠灯都是工匠手工制作的。  
    měi yī zhǎn zhū dēng dōu shì gōng jiàng shǒu gōng zhì zuò de.  
    Every single beaded lantern is handmade by artisans.
  4. 珠灯象征着吉祥和团圆。  
    zhū dēng xiàng zhēng zhe jí xiáng hé tuán yuán.  
    Beaded lanterns symbolize luck and family reunion.
  5. 我们需要保护和传承这项技艺。  
    wǒ men xū yào bǎo hù hé chuán chéng zhè xiàng jì yì.  
    We need to protect and pass down this skill.
  6. 看，这些珠灯多么璀璨！  
    kàn, zhè xiē zhū dēng duō me cuǐ càn!  
    Look, how dazzling these beaded lanterns are!

I hope this article helps you learn about the beautiful beaded lanterns in China’s intangible cultural heritage!

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