2026 Cross-Strait (Kunshan) Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival lights up

On the evening of September 16, the lighting ceremony of the 2026 Cross-Strait (Kunshan) Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival and the closing ceremony of the 6th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month were held in Kunshan City, drawing about 390 guests including representatives of entrepreneurs and young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Zhang Zhijun, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and Fan Bo, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee, attended the event.

This year’s lantern festival features lantern shows on Huiju Plaza of Kunshan Development Zone and in Zhouzhuang Ancient Town. During the festival, Kunshan will host a diverse array of sideline activities including a cross-strait art exhibition, a folk opera garden party, and a forest “moonlit gathering”. Combining traditional culture, trendy experiences and wallet-friendly consumption, these events enrich the nighttime cultural life of residents and tourists.

The closing ceremony of the 6th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month was held concurrently on site. According to the Taiwan Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, since its opening in July, the 6th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month has rolled out more than 70 featured activities covering culture and art, technological innovation, sports competitions, intangible cultural heritage study tours, innovation and entrepreneurship, attracting nearly 3,500 young participants from Taiwan.

Kunshan is one of the areas on the Chinese mainland with the most active and intensive investment from Taiwanese businessmen and the most frequent cross-strait economic, trade, and cultural exchanges. Since its debut in 2013, the Cross-Strait (Kunshan) Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival has used lanterns as a medium to convey friendship, creating a fine platform for compatriots on both sides of the Strait to appreciate the essence of cross-strait culture and celebrate traditional festivals together.