Haining Lantern Art (Heshi Lanterns)

Haining Lantern Art (Heshi Lanterns)

Haining Lantern Art (Heshi Lanterns) is an intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang Province.

　　"Heshi Lanterns" are a unique flower of folk art in Haining, originating from the Qin Dynasty and flourishing during the Tang and Song dynasties. The associated "Lantern Festivals" and "Lantern Exhibitions" have been passed down through generations since the Southern Song Dynasty, becoming a widespread custom.

　　"Street upon street linked by lantern shadows, front gates bathed in shared moonlight." The traditional Lantern Festival in Heshi Town, Haining, has long been famed for the exquisite needlework of its lanterns and the grand celebration during festive nights, earning the reputation as the "No.1 Lantern Festival in the South of the Yangtze River." It was held on the 13th day of the third lunar month.

　　The craft of Haining Lanterns is unique, characterized by eight core techniques: bending, binding, knotting, mounting, carving, painting, needling, and pasting. It stands out particularly for its finely embroidered patterns, showcasing delicate craftsmanship, intricate beauty, and translucent elegance. After centuries of refinement, it has evolved into a traditional handicraft integrating various art forms such as sound, light, electricity, architecture, calligraphy, seal carving, and painting.

　　Haining Lanterns were listed as tribute items as early as the Song Dynasty. They won major awards at the "Nanyang Industrial Exposition" in the 2nd year of the Xuantong era and the "Paris International Exposition" in 1934. In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai presented a pair of Haining Lanterns as a state gift to dignitaries from Sri Lanka. In 1992, all 14 Haining Lanterns entered in the National Lantern Invitation Competition won first prize, causing a sensation in the lantern art community. In 1994, the people of Haining gifted two pairs of Haining Lanterns to Singapore’s Senior Minister and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In February 2001, when Haining Lanterns were exhibited in New Zealand, the people of Haining gifted two more pairs to the Auckland City Council and then-New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, once again causing a stir abroad.

　　Haining Lanterns are a renowned form of Chinese folk arts and crafts and one of the three major cultural elements of Haining (Lantern Culture, Tidal Bore Culture, and Celebrity Culture). They are distinguished by their unique needling technique, hailed as a "marvel of the South of the Yangtze River" and celebrated both domestically and internationally. The 1959 edition of the Cihai (Chinese Encyclopedia) describes lanterns: "Lanterns from Zhejiang are especially famous for their needled embroidery patterns." Their origins date back very early, with the legend stating they "originated in the Qin Dynasty, began in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty, and have continued for over 2,000 years to the present."

　　During the Southern Song Dynasty, when the Jin army invaded Central China, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou relocated the capital to Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou) and governed only half of the country. To boost morale, the Lantern Festival reached new heights, with lantern-making, competitions, and viewing becoming widespread customs. According to records in Wulin Old Events and Qianchun Seasonal Records, tribute lanterns presented to the capital included Fuzhou’s White Jade Lanterns, Anhui Xin’an’s Colored Glaze Lanterns, Nanjing’s Layered Gauze Lanterns, Changzhou’s Silk Filament Lanterns, Suzhou’s Brocade Lanterns, Hangzhou’s Sheepskin Lanterns, and Haining’s Myriad-Eye Lanterns. Each type was uniquely distinctive and competed in splendor. Among them, the "Myriad-Eye Lantern," with its exquisitely fine needlework, was the most extraordinary. The Southern Song poet Fan Chengda wrote in his poem Lantern Market Stroll: "Layered jade and silk threads seem works of ghosts; cut gauze with myriad eyes exhausts human skill," highlighting that it was even finer and more beautiful than lanterns made from sheer silk or brocade. When Haining Lanterns were sent to the capital as tribute, they were selected as "masterpieces of lantern art" and displayed in front of the Phoenix Tower outside Donghua Gate in Lin’an (Hangzhou). Thus, the line in Xu Baohan’s (1866–1942) poem Haining Lantern Market reads: "In front of the Phoenix Tower outside Donghua Gate, earning fame is no one-year feat."

　　Haining, historically known by various names such as Chanshui, Youquan, Jiaxing, and Yanguan, became "Heshi" (literally "Cliff Stone") after the county seat was moved southward in the 6th year of the Yonghui era of the Tang Dynasty, owing to its location between two mountains and a river. It became the most prominent town in northern Zhejiang, enjoying economic prosperity and cultural flourishing. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, people here have taken joy in making lanterns and pride in creating masterpieces. Whether in shape or design, Haining lanterns are unmatched by those from other regions. Historically, there has never been a "lantern market" in Haining aimed at trade, nor professional lantern-makers who relied on it for a living. These "lantern art artists" came from owners and staff of silk, cotton cloth, medicine, rice, and sock businesses, as well as doctors, painters, teachers, artisans, elderly residents, and housewives—many of whom came from "lantern art families," passing down their skills through generations. Haining Lantern Competitions have never focused on the Lantern Festival. As Xu Baohan wrote in his poem Haining Lantern Market: "Purple Heshi lantern nights have no fixed time, occurring once every ten years in the spring, around March. Between March and Grain Rain..." The renowned modern scholar and local resident Zhang Zongxiang (1882–1965) also noted in his posthumous work Iron Ruyi Pavilion Fragments – Haining Miscellany, in the essay Record of Lanterns: "Haining is famed for its lanterns. The lanterns are not confined to the Lantern Festival but are showcased around January and February, or February and March. They are not hung in markets nor stacked into mountains. Smaller ones are handheld or hung from poles, larger ones carried by several people, parading through the town, hence commonly called ‘welcoming the lanterns.’ Lanterns do not appear every year, and even when they do, their grandeur varies; even in grand years, each differs." Therefore, Haining Lantern Festivals have traditionally been held around the Qingming Festival, to honor the gods of land and grain—Da Yu and Qin Shi Huang—having no connection with the nationwide "Lantern Festival." This shows that Haining Lanterns did not originate in royal courts but in the folk, with a long-standing tradition that has endured through time. Their profound impact on China and even the world is therefore understandable.

　　The state places great importance on the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, this heritage was approved by the State Council and included in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage lists. On June 5, 2007, Chen Weiyang from Haining City, Zhejiang Province, was designated by the Ministry of Culture as the representative inheritor of this cultural heritage project, and was listed among the first 226 representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage projects.