This mesmerising footage shows thousands of lanterns lighting up city streets and buildings as seen from a plane flying above.

The colourful spectacle was recorded by unnamed passengers above Shanxi Province, in North China, during Chinese New Year festivities.

To welcome the upcoming Year of the Dragon (2024), countless residents decorated their apartments with lights and lanterns, turning their homes into a fantastic sight for fliers travelling past.

A third video, seemingly shot from a drone, offers an even closer look into one city’s festive mood as fireworks were seen going off among the numberless apartments decorated in vivid colours, most notably red.

The scenes captivated many netizens on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

One user, titled ‘On the water side 123 (weekend grandma)’, wrote: “The night is dazzling, captured with exquisite filming, creating a visual and auditory feast. It’s incredibly beautiful, leaving one in awe. The feeling of a blockbuster!”

User ‘Tao Ma’ commented: “I saw a trending joke on Douyin, saying that when renovating a house in Shanxi, the water and electricity workers first determine the location for the balcony lanterns.”

And ‘User 504094106’ said: “In Shanxi, there are many steadfast customs that people from other provinces may not understand, such as hanging festive lanterns during the New Year. Putting couplets on cars, and taking afternoon naps…”