The main lantern at this year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival features a 15m-tall giant tree design that symbolizes the nation’s cities and its 23 million people, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
A model of the lantern, titled The Guardian of the Forest — Tree of Light (森生守護-光之樹), was unveiled at the Grand Hotel Taipei.
The main lantern would be displayed at the Houli Horse Ranch and Forest Park Area in Taichung, which is hosting the festival this year, the bureau said, adding that it would be illuminated for the first time at the opening ceremony on Feb. 8.
Photo: CNA
Shows featuring the main lantern would be presented on the hour while the festival is open from Feb. 8 to Feb. 23, the bureau said.
The lantern was designed by artist Lin Shuen-long (林舜龍), who in 2018 had an example of his work on display at the Taichung World Flora Expo, which was also staged in the ranch and forest area, the bureau said.
The lantern is a continuation of his work at the expo, which ended in April last year, with his previous piece called A Seed Fallen From the Sky (從天上掉下來的一顆種子,籽仔), it said.
The seed has grown to a towering tree, it said.
The lantern was built by combining wooden boards and steel, and consists of 22 main structural units, representing the nation’s 22 administrative areas, the bureau said.
It has 368 bud-shaped lanterns and 2,359 heart-shaped leaves, representing the nation’s 368 township administrations and 23.59 million people, it said.
People can enter the main lantern to view the design from the inside, the bureau said.
They can use an interactive device called a “Seed Balloon” that can descend upon verbal command and diffuse fragrances, it added.
The main lantern could be used as a landmark at the ranch and forest area or be turned into a micro-museum after the festival ends, so the benefits of the festival could continue, it said.
As this year is the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac, small lanterns the bureau is to give to visitors would feature two cartoon rats dressed in the traditional Chinese garments of a bride and a groom, it said.
Designer Lin Chia-wei (林佳葦) said she was inspired by the Chinese folk story about a rat couple wanting to find a groom for their beloved daughter.
“I have the image of a bridegroom printed on one side of the paper and that of a bride on the other side. People can decide whether they want to assemble a bride or a groom lantern,” Lin said.
“The neck and waist of the lantern are movable,” she said.
“When the strings are pulled, the parts move to make the rat bow with its paws clasped, a traditional Lunar New Year’s Day greeting,” she said, adding that the lanterns can be used as puppets.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that the ministry has appropriated about NT$210 million (US$7.01 million) to cover training of festival staff, marketing, shuttle buses and rail services.
“We want the 31st Taiwan Lantern Festival to be a model for Taiwan Lantern Festival 2.0, which will set new standards for other cities and counties to follow over the next 30 years,” he said.
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