On February 12, the 15th day of the first lunar month, the night lights of the Lantern Festival illuminated Shanghai.
In prime time, Dragon TV presented a spectacular cross-cultural program, unfolding the legends of Shanghai’s heritage like an ancient scroll. The event took audiences on a captivating journey into the world of Eastern aesthetics, sharing the beauty of Chinese civilization with the world.

For the first time, Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen performed 这份爱 This Love live on stage at the festival. This song, composed by renowned musician Nathan Wang, serves as the official soundtrack for Jackie Chan’s film The Legend. The track was released on July 5, 2024, and the movie premiered on July 12, 2024, featuring Dimash’s voice in its grand finale.

With its refined harmonies and unique vocalizations, the song’s musical storytelling transcends time like an ancient artifact, seamlessly blending past and future, tradition and modernity.

DimashNews reached out to Nathan Wang to hear his thoughts on Dimash performing This Love at the prestigious Lantern Festival. Here’s what he shared with us:

“I am incredibly proud that Dimash is performing this song at the Lantern Festival! I consider him a friend and feel honored that he is singing the song I wrote for him for Jackie Chan’s movie “Legend”. Every time I hear him perform it, I feel proud to be part of Director Stanley Tong’s team of composers. And when Dimash starts singing, his voice just soars—it’s truly breathtaking! It’s a great honor for me that he is sharing this performance at such a special festival.”

Nathan Wang also shared that, for him, this festival holds deep personal meaning:

“Although I was born and raised in Los Angeles, my parents instilled in me a deep appreciation for my Chinese heritage. I’ve known about the Lantern Festival since elementary school! I understand that it is a celebration honoring our ancestors on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. My father always told me that the festival symbolizes forgiveness and peace.

As a family, we celebrated by going out to dinner, where my father would share stories about his parents, grandparents, and everything he remembered about his great-grandparents. My mother would do the same. Those dinners always felt special to me, and because of them, the Lantern Festival became something I eagerly looked forward to every year.”

Additionally, Dimash joined Peter Chen, a musician from Taiwan, China, and Pan Hangwei, a young soprano from the China Opera and Dance Theatre known for her role in the Chinese version of The Phantom of the Opera, in a mesmerizing performance of 青玉案·元夕 The Lantern Festival Night. This piece is based on a poem by Xin Qiji from the Song Dynasty (1142–1207).

The poem vividly captures the exhilarating atmosphere of the Lantern Festival—thousands of illuminated trees, star-like lights drifting in the eastern wind, jade lanterns glowing as fish and dragons dance through the night, and elaborately decorated carriages speeding past. Meanwhile, the protagonist stands in the shadows, away from the revelry, searching for a kindred soul—who, if he only turns around, is right there beside him.