STORY: Exploring river lantern festival in China's Guangxi
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 16, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 22, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:24
LOCATION: GUILIN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese/Thai): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW & WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
5. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
6. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
7. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
8. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
9. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
10. SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
11. SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student

STORYLINE:

It's a local tradition to release river lanterns to memorize ancestors on 14th or 15th day of 7th month of Chinese lunar calendar. The Ziyuan river lantern festival, which combines ancestor worship, praying for blessings, commerce, and entertainment, has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese/Thai): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW & WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
"Hello."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"I'm Kemmika Topukeaw."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
"I'm Warakorn Sontana."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"We're from Thailand. We are studying at Guangxi Normal University. We are in Ziyuan County, Guilin City (south China's Guangxi), experiencing the river lantern festival. "

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
"Come with us and have a look!"

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"The lanterns here come in all kinds of shapes, such as turtles, mountains, cows, and fish. Ours are the more traditional ones. 

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"Is it beautiful?" 

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
"It's really good looking."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"Now we're going to put the lanterns in the river."

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): WARAKORN SONTANA, Thai student
"Ok!"

SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): KEMMIKA TOPUKEAW, Thai student
"During the river lantern festival in China, people also release floating lanterns to make wishes and pray for good fortune. This is the first time for me to participate in the river lantern festival. When I put lanterns in the river, I saw people lighting lanterns together with their families and friends, making wishes together and looking forward to a better future together. This has made me feel extremely happy and warm."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guilin, China.
(XHTV)