Numbers of visitors to Nanjing’s Confucius Temple yesterday have been put at a quarter million. But while it all went off without a hitch, this year’s en-masse descent upon Fuzimiao was for many a bonding of families and those held close.
昨天南京夫子庙的游客人数预计已达25万人次。尽管一切都很顺利，但今年的集体降临夫子庙对许多家庭和亲密的人来说是一种纽带。
“Lively” and “orderly” were the words used in media reports today to describe the scene yesterday evening at Nanjing’s Confucius Temple as the annual ritual that is the Qinhuai Lantern Festival reached its crescendo.
今天的媒体报道用“热闹”、“有序”来形容昨天晚上南京夫子庙一年一度的秦淮灯会活动进入高潮的场面。
But before that, at around 14:00 on 5 February, organisers of this year’s Festival were becoming agitated. Camped out in the Festival headquarters on the second floor of the Qinhuai Gift Store in Fuzimiao, personnel from multiple city departments were on standby.
但在此之前，2月5日14:00左右，今年音乐节的组织者开始变得焦躁起来。在夫子庙秦淮礼品店二楼的节日指挥部扎营，市多个部门的人员严阵以待。
Staring at the monitors, traffic was building up at the Confucius Temple entrance on Pingjiangfu Lu. In place were also more than 400 volunteers to assist public security and traffic police.
盯着监视器，平江府路夫子庙入口处的车流越来越多。还有400多名志愿者协助公安、交警。
Along the roads leading to Fuzimiao, temporary security points had been erected roughly every 200 metres, under which stood a firefighter, a patrol officer and an armed police officer.
通往夫子庙的道路上，大约每隔200米就设立了临时警戒点，警戒点下站着一名消防员、一名巡逻员和一名武警。
Electronic signage on such routes and by the scenic spot’s main intersections assisted by indicating the direction of one-way traffic, exit points, etc.
此类路线及景区主要路口设有电子标识牌，辅助指示单向交通方向、出口点等。
By 16:00, a long queue had formed at the entrance of the East Memorial Archway entrance to Fuzimiao. Local citizens and tourists alike stood waiting, accompanied by the soundtrack; “Please show your reservation code to enter the scenic spot”.
16:00，夫子庙东牌坊入口处已排起长队。伴随着音乐，当地市民和游客都在等待。 “请出示预约码进入景区”。
Volunteers stationed at such points kept reminding everyone to pay attention to safety, as Nanjing Daily reports. They also faced a barrage of questions; “Which entrances can we use?”, “Where can I make a reservation?”, and so on.
据《南京日报》报道，在这些点驻扎的志愿者不断提醒大家注意安全。他们还面临着一系列问题； “我们可以使用哪些入口？”、“我可以在哪里预订？”等等。
This year’s Qinhuai Lantern Festival is the first to be held since COVID was declared a Class B medical concern. As such, despite traffic control measures, the enthusiasm from all walks of life to come and see the lanterns could not be dampened.
今年的秦淮灯会是新冠肺炎被列为乙级医疗事件后首次举办。因此，尽管采取了交通管制措施，但也挡不住各界人士前来赏灯的热情。
“My parents came to Nanjing this year. [I want] to take them to feel the atmosphere of the Qinhuai Lantern Festival”, said Chen Luyi. No sooner had he scanned the reservation code for his family and entered, he was snapping away at the lanterns hanging under the Memorial Archway.
“今年我父母来了南京，（我想）带他们去感受一下秦淮灯会的气氛”，陈鲁一说。当他为家人扫描预订码并进入后，他就开始对牌坊下悬挂的灯笼拍照。
By the leisurely flow of the Qinhuai River, the roads became crowded as night fell, leaving throngs of locals and tourists to walk amid the spectacle of red light.
缓缓流过的秦淮河，入夜后道路变得拥挤，成群结队的当地人和游客在红灯的映衬下漫步。
Li Jiawei came from Hubei Province to visit Laomendong with several friends. “I have heard about the Qinhuai Lantern Festival forever; the atmosphere I feel today is really wonderful!”, he said with a smile. Reminded that it was best to choose public transport on this day, he and his friends booked tickets in advance and rode shared bikes to the venue.
李嘉伟与几位朋友从湖北来到老门洞。 “秦淮灯节我早就听说了，今天感受到的气氛真是太棒了！”他笑着说。提醒这天最好选择公共交通，他和朋友提前订了票，骑着共享单车前往会场。
Once a year, this sea of lanterns becomes the most captivating place in Nanjing. In 2023, with COVID not quite a memory, the Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival has regained its vitality, summed up in one word; “reunion”.
每年一度，这片灯海成为南京最迷人的地方。 2023年，新冠疫情已不复记忆，南京秦淮灯会又恢复了生机，一言以蔽之； “团圆”。
