Zigong, in Sichuan Province is home to Chinese lanterns. Zigong lantern is known as the best lantern in the world. The Zigong Lantern Festival dates back to the Tang Dynasty. The festival has rapidly developed with traditional culture and modern technologies. In 2008, the Zigong Lantern Festival was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage(国家级非物质文化遗产), becoming a shining name card for Chinese culture to go out into the world.
"Making a huge lantern for exhibition requires 17 steps," said Wan Songtao, an inheritor (传承人) of Zigong lantern-making. "Each step is finished by a team instead of a single maker." Wan added. The sundial (日晷), a kind of lantern, made by Wan's team, for example, took about 80 makers over 50 days to complete the whole process. Unlike the lanterns in other places, Zigong lanterns use modern technologies such as AI, mechanical engineering (机械工程), and holography (全息摄影术). They are perfect combinations (结合) of lights, sounds and movements.
What's more, the theme of the lantern can be chosen in different ways. "Anything that can be designed on a lantern can make a wonderful show, and everyone is encouraged to turn their ideas into real works," said Zhang Fanglai, a leading researcher at the Colorful Lantern Museum of China. And the rich themes of Zigong lanterns show the spirit of creativity and warmth from the bottom of the local people's heart.
The government encourages local people to learn lantern-making widely. Without doubt, at the heart of the Zigong Lantern Festival's success is the local tradition of pulling together. Zigong lanterns are getting more and more popular. Driven by the collective efforts of the whole city, they have reached over 80 countries. It's believed that Zigong lanterns will reach every corner of the world in the future.
