Below is a curated set of Stable Diffusion prompts inspired by the Song dynasty Shangyuan (Lantern Festival). Each prompt is written to evoke period-correct details—timber eaves and latticed windows, silk-paneled palace lanterns, futou hats and beizi robes—bathed in the amber breath of lamplight and the cool hush of a winter moon. Use them as-is or mix elements across prompts. A shared negative prompt is included at the end.
1) Northern Song capital nightscape, arched bridge over the Bian River
Prompt:
Shangyuan night in Bianjing (Kaifeng), the river a sheet of polished ink, arched timber bridge thronged with revelers in Song-dynasty robes, silk palace lanterns painted with peonies, cranes, and auspicious clouds, tassels trembling in the night breeze, vendors with shoulder poles, steam rising from copper tea kettles, moonlight in cool indigo washes over carved eaves and latticed windows, meticulous gongbi detail, cinematic wide panorama, warm lantern glow vs cool moonlight, subtle mist, glimmering reflections, period-accurate Hanfu (beizi over pleated skirts, round-collar robes, futou hats), storytelling depth, ultra-detailed, volumetric light
2) Southern Song Lin’an, West Lake lantern regatta
Prompt:
Shangyuan on West Lake, gondola-like boats stitched with silk lanterns shaped as lotus, carp, and dragons, reflections blooming like fallen stars on ink-dark water, willow branches combing the surface, distant drum tower crowned with crimson lamps, Southern Song courtiers in flowing beizi and patterned skirts, musicians plucking pipa under gauze canopies, mist-soft mountains, gold-cinnabar accents, painterly yet realistic water sheen, tranquil grandeur, moon haze, softly drifting sparks, atmospheric depth
3) Lantern riddle alley, intimate street scene
Prompt:
Narrow Song-dynasty lane strung with lanterns bearing brush-written riddles, slips of paper fluttering like moth wings, a scholar in plain round-collar robe studies ink characters, children in tiger-head caps crane forward, candleglow pooling on blue-stone paving, wood-grain doors with bronze rings, sesame oil lamps, delicate ink wash textures with gongbi crispness, warm amber highlights, close, intimate composition, sensory steam from sweet osmanthus cakes
4) Portrait: lady lighting a palace lantern
Prompt:
Three-quarter portrait of a Song-dynasty lady lighting a silk palace lantern, beizi drifting like mist over a pale ruqun, hair pinned with jade and kingfisher-feather inlay, the flame catching her gaze with liquid gold, painted plum blossoms on the lantern skin, fine brocade, soft powder tones and cinnabar lips, chiaroscuro from candlelight, shallow depth-of-field, pearl-soft skin rendering, exquisite textile detail, serene, poetic restraint
5) Tower and street canopies, festival crescendo
Prompt:
A city tower with upturned eaves crowned by a canopy of lanterns like a constellation net, streets below swelling with color and fragrance, jugglers and storytellers under silk awnings, shop signs in brushed clerical script, perfumed smoke trails, lacquered rails gleaming, precise architectural joinery, rich cinnabar and indigo palette, multi-layered crowd scene, crisp foreground textures fading to atmospheric perspective, grand, celebratory mood
6) Dragon lantern procession
Prompt:
A many-jointed dragon lantern undulates through a Song-dynasty avenue, ribs of bamboo and silk aglow, bearers in short coats and cloth headbands, tassels streaming like comet tails, cymbals and drums implied in the posture of movement, sparks flecking the night, cobbles picking up honeyed reflections, period market stalls and bannered tea houses, dynamic motion blur with painterly edges, golden firelight vs blue-ink shadows
7) Artisan workshop, crafting the light
Prompt:
Interior of a Song-dynasty lantern workshop, bamboo ribs arched like the bones of a small boat, silk panels stretched and painted with plum, lotus, and twin carp, brushes resting in porcelain, glue warming over a brazier, dust motes floating like tiny moons, craftsman in hemp robe focused by lamplight, tactile materials, macro-precise textures, intimate, reverent atmosphere, warm, patient hands and timeworn wood
8) Shadow play by the river
Prompt:
Riverside shadow-puppet stage covered in oiled paper, silhouettes of heroes and fox spirits dancing in amber glow, children pressed to the screen edge, elders with folded fans, lanterns stippling the water behind, reeds whispering, delicate cut-leather puppets with jointed limbs, soft percussion implied, lyrical, translucent layers, fine-grained detail, gentle fog and moon-silver air
9) Market of flavors and stories
Prompt:
Song-era night market, steam from bamboo steamers curls into lamplight, candied hawthorn skewers glistening, sesame cakes and tea poured into porcelain, a storyteller mid-gesture on a low platform, brush-script placards, lattice shutters half-open, woven baskets, disciplined gongbi linework with lush color washes, appetizing warmth, crowd life in harmonized hues, subtle rain sheen on stone
10) Children with fish and lotus lanterns
Prompt:
A cluster of children in quilted winter vests and pleated skirts racing with fish-shaped and lotus lanterns, light swimming across their faces, elders smiling beneath black-gauze futou, rooftops scalloped against the moon, breath white in the cold, ribbons fluttering, candid, joyous energy, crisp textile weave, soft lantern glow, blue hour aura, gentle motion
11) Courtly balcony over the avenue
Prompt:
Upper-story balcony with carved balustrade, courtesans in layered silk leaning over to watch lantern tides below, red gauze curtains catching firelight, flower combs and pearl pins glimmering, a brazier’s ember-fire breathing orange, calligraphy scrolls with festival verses, street a river of gold beneath, rich yet restrained, painterly bokeh lanterns, refined textures, poetic elegance
12) Song handscroll aesthetic (painterly version)
Prompt:
Song-dynasty handscroll of the Shangyuan festival, continuous narrative along a riverbank, minute figures under forests of lanterns, timber bridges, watchtowers, tea houses, canted ferry boats, calligraphic clouds, ink wash mountains, gongbi fineness in figures and architecture, mineral pigments (cinnabar, azurite, malachite) in delicate harmony, antique paper tone, museum-grade patina, balanced composition, serene grandeur
Optional negative prompt (use or adapt for all):
modern clothes, jeans, sneakers, high heels, sunglasses, LED lights, neon signs, electric bulbs, plastic, acrylic, modern fireworks bursts, contemporary city skyline, skyscrapers, steel-and-glass facades, modern cars, printed logos, QR codes, streetlights, fluorescent tubes, photographic flash, billboard, dystopian elements
Tips:
- For painterly realism: use a “gongbi, meticulous brushwork, mineral pigments” clause; for a handscroll feel, add “antique paper, gentle foxing, ink wash edges.”
- For photoreal night scenes: add “volumetric light, cinematic lighting, filmic, warm tungsten-like candle glow, blue-hour moonlight, crisp micro-detail, natural skin tones.”
