The main lantern and mini lanterns of the Taiwan Lantern Festival are unveiled, with lantern displays visible on land, water, and in the air

The Lantern Festival mini lantern is named "Dali Dog," featuring the Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi and indigenous totems, among other designs. (Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

This year’s main lantern was named “Loyalty and Righteousness Innate” by Academician Tseng Yung-yi of Academia Sinica. Its design features the smiling face of an indigenous child alongside a loyal Taiwanese dog, symbolizing the arrival of good fortune in the Year of the Dog. (Photo by Reporter Wang Sihui)

The 2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival will light up its main lantern area in the “County Administration Special Zone” in front of the Chiayi County Government on March 2, the Lantern Festival. Tourism Bureau Director-General Chou Yung-hui stated that this year’s main lantern was named “Loyalty and Righteousness Innate” by Academician Tseng Yung-yi of Academia Sinica. Its design, featuring the smiling face of an indigenous child and a loyal Taiwanese dog, symbolizes the arrival of good fortune in the Year of the Dog, showcasing Taiwan to the world.

Chiayi County Magistrate Chang Hua-kuan said that around 70,000 to 100,000 mini lanterns will be available this year, to be distributed in front of the Chiayi County Government and at the Dong Transfer Station. On regular days, about 2,000 will be given out, while on holidays the number will increase to 4,000–5,000.

The Tourism Bureau held a press conference today at the Grand Hotel Taipei to unveil the designs of the “2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival Main Lantern and Mini Lantern.” Chou Yung-hui pointed out that this year’s mini lantern is named “Dali Dog,” meaning “powerful.” Using a collage-style picture book aesthetic, local Chiayi elements such as mountains, the sea, the Alishan Forest Railway, indigenous totems, and blue-and-white porcelain from the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum are transformed into vibrant patterns on the dog’s body, while the handle is designed to resemble a cute doghouse. Additionally, through the ingenuity of the lamp artists, paw-print cutouts are designed on the dog’s belly, so when children carry the lantern at night, paw prints appear on the ground, adding a fun touch.

Chang Hua-kuan said that Chiayi has many new attractions in recent years, such as the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum and the Taiping Sky Bridge. Chiayi is not lacking in beauty but rather in being discovered. She also emphasized that the lantern festival exhibition area enjoys convenient transportation, with a 24-day exhibition period from February 16 (the first day of the Lunar New Year) to March 11, the longest to date. Moreover, it boasts the largest exhibition space, covering over 50 hectares, or even 100 hectares including the transfer station. This year’s lantern festival incorporates land art, divided into three zones—on water, on land, and in the air. The air zone features works by international public artists, while the lake area in the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum showcases waterborne lanterns, and the land zone features traditional lanterns, drawing visitors’ focus to the lantern areas.

Chou Yung-hui said that due to geographical advantages, they hope to increase visitor numbers by 5% to 10%. Additionally, crowd management measures have been implemented this year. The main lantern will officially be illuminated at 7:00 p.m. on March 2, the evening of the Lantern Festival, while the Chiayi lantern area will open earlier on February 16. They expect even higher attendance and encourage everyone to use public transportation to visit the lantern displays.

This year, Chunghwa Telecom once again sponsors the main lantern. Chairman Cheng Yeu stated that to attract more participants, in addition to sponsoring the main lantern, they have also set up a mobile payment zone. Visitors only need to bring their mobile phones, without cash, to enjoy the food, drinks, and fun in the lantern festival area. He mentioned that after Premier Lai Ching-te took office, efforts to promote mobile payments have been made, with a goal of reaching 90% adoption by 2025.