The main light of the Taiwan Lantern Festival is on! 19,000 LED sets shine brilliantly, 500 seconds of fireworks light up Yunlin

▲The 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival has officially opened in Yunlin, with the main light show accompanied by 500 seconds of fireworks lighting up the region. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

Reported by reporter Lai Wen-xuan / Yunlin

The highly anticipated "2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival" officially kicked off today！ This year, the two major lantern areas in Huwei and Beigang cover a total of 50 hectares, making it the largest lantern festival in history. In the evening, President Tsai Ing-wen personally presided over the lighting ceremony, where the dazzling "Phoenix Coming in Grace" emitted a magnificent glow, symbolizing Taiwan’s journey into a new era. The subsequent 500-second fireworks display lit up the entire lantern area. The event will run until February 19 and is expected to attract 10 million visitors.

▲The main light "Phoenix Coming in Grace" is officially illuminated, accompanied by 500 seconds of fireworks lighting up Yunlin. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

The main light of the Taiwan Lantern Festival, "Phoenix Coming in Grace," is sponsored by Chunghwa Telecom. This year’s design showcases the majestic aura of the phoenix, capturing the spirit of the phoenix lifting its head and soaring, ready to take flight. It also depicts the moment when the phoenix descends atop a mountain peak, flapping its wings in a dynamic flight across the sky. With an overall height of 23 meters, the main light stands out among all. For the first time, more than 19,000 lighting circuits are used along with high-performance full-color LED lights to present the most dazzling and spectacular visual feast.

▲The 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival: President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Lin Chuan, and Yunlin County Magistrate Li Jin-yong press the light-up magic ball together. (Photo / Yunlin County Government)

The main light performance interprets six themes: "Yunlin, the Land of Fish and Rice," "Lan

▲The 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Yunlin, Welcome Lantern Area. (Photo / Credit: Reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Four secondary lanterns were professionally crafted by lantern artists using traditional lantern-making techniques, based on the theme of the festival and tourism significance. They feature giant composite lanterns with auspicious themes: “The Ox Turns the Universe,” “Lion Brings Auspiciousness,” “Birdsong and Blooming Flowers,” and “Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate,” continuing the heritage of traditional lantern artistry.

The Welcome Lantern Area incorporates the local Mazu belief of Yunlin, showcasing the beauty of traditional Taiwanese temple swallowtail architecture. The “Welcome and Blessing” lantern area is set up at the entrance of the festival, allowing visitors to walk beneath it as if passing through the incense-filled temple square, blessing them with smooth sailing for the coming year. It welcomes all lantern-viewing guests. The Traditional Lantern Area features the creative ideas meticulously crafted by Taiwanese lantern artists, utilizing six major themes: Leisurely Slow Travel, Zhuoshui Rice Fragrance, Vibrant Green Energy, Heritage of Arts, Cloud Homeland Living, and Joyful Senior Sharing, presenting the unique natural scenery, agriculture, green energy, art, culture, and welfare facilities of Yunlin County. The Joyful Lantern Area, created by related tourism industries, showcases a diverse range of lantern displays by combining corporate-themed features with modern technology.

To ensure both domestic and international visitors can smoothly reach the lantern festival site and share in the joyful and colorful Lantern Festival, the public may take the high-speed rail and disembark at Yunlin Station to arrive at the venue. Please purchase return tickets in advance to avoid long waits. Additionally, for those taking the regular train, southbound passengers should disembark at Douliu Station, while northbound passengers should get off at Dounan Station, then take the free shuttle bus from the back station to the festival. For those driving themselves, vehicles can be parked in the surrounding parking lots according to the signage system, and then take the shuttle bus into the lantern area. For detailed event information, please visit the 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival official website (taiwan.net.tw/2017taiwanlantern/) or scan the QR code below.