The lantern festival parade consisted of four parts.
At the very front was an open four-horse carriage, without a canopy, enclosed only by low railings. On it sat eight musicians dressed as fairy maidens, carrying various instruments such as sheng, se, qin, and xiao, ready to begin playing as soon as the time came.
In the middle of the procession was a two-story six-horse carriage, also roofless and railed, but its decoration was far more exquisite and magnificent than the first. Under the lamplight, the carriage shimmered with flowing colors, and from afar, it reminded one of the chariot of Wang Shu driving the moon.
Undoubtedly, this was the most eye-catching part of the entire parade. Six female performers in gorgeous skirts stood on the lower level, each poised gracefully toward the sides of the road like a flock of cranes about to take flight. Meanwhile, the two most beautiful and outstanding performers reclined languidly on the upper platform, their hair like misty clouds, their garments like feathered robes, and when the lights flickered and cast a fleeting glance, they truly seemed like celestial maidens descending to earth.
At the tail of the procession was a team of twenty lantern-bearing fairies, divided into two columns of ten each. Previously, the total had been sixteen, but with the addition of three extra people, a new performer had been added to balance the numbers.
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