Liang Yu: Guardian of Huangyan's Lantern Riddle Heritage

Lantern riddles, a traditional Chinese puzzle art blending dialects with local customs, took root in Huangyan over a century ago. As the municipal ICH inheritor of Huangyan Lantern Riddles, Liang Yu has dedicated his life to this craft. Born in 1980, he first encountered lantern riddles at Huangyan's Lantern Festival. In junior high, his mentor Zhang Rongyue integrated riddles into classes (e.g., the riddle "Huangyan's Seven Titles," answered by "bezoar" and "Yanqi"—medicinal materials), awarding prizes to top solvers. This deepened Liang's fascination with the art's encyclopedic scope, inspiring him to study riddles from newspapers.

Huangyan's riddle tradition traces its roots to the 1978 "Lantern Riddle Interest Group," which evolved into a county-level association in 1987. Joining the riddle community, Liang noticed aging inheritors' struggles. In 2010, he co-founded the Youth Lantern Riddle Association with four peers, uniting veteran and young enthusiasts to revive the art.

Under his leadership, the association thrived: hosting annual lantern riddle festivals, securing national-level competition victories, and expanding membership from single digits to nearly 100 by 2020. The association created over 1,000 riddles, including 200+ "excellent works" certified by national judges. In 2020, he compiled Lantern Riddles of the Citrus Homeland: A Decade of Polish(Huangyan: Zhejiang University Press, 2020), documenting milestones and artists' stories.

Even after stepping down as president, Liang continues to craft riddles—over 1,000 in two decades—including Huangyan-themed puzzles for tourism events. His wife notes: "He's never stopped—fueled by passion to safeguard our lantern riddle heritage."