Chen Caiping and her lanterns [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Needle-pierced boneless lanterns from Xianju county, East China's Zhejiang province have gained attention after local artist Chen Caiping displayed the exquisite folk art to visitors during the Spring Festival holiday.

Chen Caiping, 48, is a practitioner of the art and demonstrates the full artistic potential of boneless lanterns.

Her artwork, a set of lanterns extending wishes to China, won the top prize at a national award ceremony organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Jan 13.

The set of lanterns received praise from visitors on a Spring Festival exhibition in Xianju.

The art of Xianju lantern-making, which is classified as a national intangible cultural heritage, originated in Potan ancient town around 1,000 years ago and has been continuously passed down from one generation to the next.

The Xianju lantern-making process consists of more than 10 steps, from piercing the paper to sticking slices together.

Chen has committed herself to continuing the artistic tradition while also making some innovations of her own. An increasing number of people are showing interest in the lanterns after seeing Chen's artworks.

"I will hold true to my vision for the art and do all I can to spread and promote it," said Chen.