Pingxi Police Officers' Sky Lanterns Extra Show: Limited Edition "Light Up Happiness" Ticket Set on Sale

Written/Compiled and Reported by MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin

 

Since its opening on White Day this year, the "Pingxi Police Station Officers' Sky Lanterns" have been widely praised. To give more tourists the chance to experience the appeal of customized LED wish sky lanterns, extra shows will commence starting April 10th. Each day, the hourly sky lantern show and personalized LED wish sky lanterns for visitors will begin at 4:00 PM.

The exterior of the Pingxi Police Station is made of glass curtains and 193,924 LED lights. In addition to maintaining local public safety, it offers the unique opportunity to release the Officers' Sky Lanterns. Visitors can write their wishes on a postcard, which is then processed by computer. On holidays from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and on weekdays from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, after enjoying a 3-minute sky lantern show at the top of each hour, the handwritten wishes on the postcards will ascend into the sky on the Officers' Sky Lanterns. The postcards carrying these wishes will also be mailed to their intended recipients with the assistance of staff.

 

The 3-minute nightly sky lantern show mainly depicts how sky lanterns were originally invented by Zhuge Liang to transmit military intelligence. In the early days of Pingxi’s mountainous region, when bandits attacked, the lanterns were used by residents to send messages of safety to their families and to pray to the heavens. As time passed, coal trains transitioned to serving travelers, and traditional sky lanterns, through the creativity of local artisans, took on various colors and shapes, each representing something unique, preserving tradition with innovation. The story of the sky lantern show culminates in the annual Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, where as each lantern is lit and released, wishes for peace and happiness are sent into the night sky. Though times change, the emotion remains the same under the same sky.

 

Each Officers' Sky Lantern costs 150 NTD. The public can sign up on-site at the Pingxi Police Station, or pre-register by phone to reserve a release time. Alternatively, one can opt for the “Light Up Happiness Ticket Set” launched by the New Taipei City Tourism Bureau. The set is priced at 300 NTD and includes one Officers' Sky Lantern release voucher and 300 NTD in shopping vouchers, which can be used at over 130 shops in the commercial district. The ticket sets are available for purchase at the Pingxi Police Station, Jing Tong Qiao Men Western-style Pastry Cake Shop, Pingxi Mingtong Yashuo, Pingxi Meiyun Fabric Art Studio, and Shifen Railway Art Gallery, among others. The ticket set promotion runs until June 13th, with limited quantities available daily. For details, please visit the New Taipei City Tourism Website.

 

 

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