Zhuanghe County-level City of Liaoning Province has the tradition of lighting Chinese zodiac candle lanterns, which is also called dianxu’er. The purely handmade lanterns portraying the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, also named dough lanterns, are made of bean flour and cornmeal added with food coloring. One such lantern is placed on one square cardboard, with a little petal-shaped dough-made bowl on its side, where a small red candle can be stuck.

The Chinese zodiac candle lanterns in Zhuanghe have a long history. They originated in Shandong Province. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the tradition of lighting the candle lanterns was brought to Zhuanghe by migrants from Shandong. Over 400 years, the tradition from Shandong has been combined with the local customs in Zhuanghe, and in the relatively enclosed environment, it has lasted and also formed its own unique characteristics.

With the development of the times, the craftsmanship of the candle lanterns in Zhuanghe has been continuously innovated. Now, people there use various pigments on dough to mold the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, and then draw different patterns on the surface, smear oil and dry in the air. The patterns are all unique, vivid and lifelike, such as a loong coiling around a jade pillar, a rabbit holding a large yuanbao (or shoe-shaped ingot), and a mouse stepping on a treasure bowl.