ADORNED with over 500 lanterns, the Swee Nyet Keung Temple has become a focal point of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

Radiating joy and hope, the lanterns help devotees usher in the Year of the Snake that has started a new cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Temple caretaker Chong Choon Lim, 59, who has maintained the sacred site for nearly two decades, described the lanterns as more than just decorative items.