A 22m-tall lantern in the shape of a robot rabbit is to be the centerpiece of the Taiwan Lantern Festival to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
The Year of the Rabbit begins on Jan. 22.
The lantern was designed by Akibo Lee (李明道). It would be displayed at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei from Feb. 5 to 19. The memorial hall is among the festival’s four display zones across Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Inspired by Taiwan’s leading role in the global semiconductor industry, several technologies would be used to showcase the centerpiece, the bureau said.
They are to include a musical theme by Golden Melody Award winner George Chen (陳建騏) and performance capture technology that would enable the rabbit to emulate the facial expressions of Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳).
The festival would also feature rabbit-shaped lanterns and rabbit-eared headgear, the bureau said.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said that Taiwan’s main lantern festival has not been held in Taipei since 2001.
He urged people to visit the city to enjoy the more than 200 stage performances that have been arranged as part of the festivities.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said he hopes the festival would bring blessings to Taiwan.
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