By MOOK Travel & Lifestyle / Chen Guanxin, compiled & reported
This year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held on February 14th, the Lantern Festival, in Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County. The Year of the Horse (Jia Wu), featuring the horse zodiac sign, has everyone excited about the central golden horse-shaped lantern “Soaring Dragon Steed,” which will stand at 23 meters tall—the tallest central lantern in the festival’s history. The main lantern also breaks from traditional craftsmanship methods, promising even more stunning visual effects.
This year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival main lantern stands an impressive 23 meters tall—the tallest ever. (Photo provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)
The design, production, and display of this year’s central lantern are managed by the team at Zhi Fang Art Co., Ltd. The lantern will reach a total height of 23 meters—the tallest in the festival’s history—and weigh approximately 30 metric tons. Its design draws inspiration from the ancient and agile horse breed “Yanqi Horse,” known for its running and climbing abilities, styled as a dragon steed atop Taiwan’s highest peak, Yushan. In terms of overall lighting design, the themes of “all-optical,” “technological,” and “green energy conservation” take center stage, with over 200,000 LED bulbs used to create a dazzling and magnificent visual experience.
In addition, the Tourism Bureau commissioned Professor Huang Xincái from the National Taiwan University of Arts to compose the music for the lantern show performances. Aligned with the six-step lantern-lighting ceremony, the melody features rich elements of Taiwanese folk songs, while the brilliant orchestral sounds convey that Taiwan is a peaceful, harmonious, and livable paradise.
The host location of the Taiwan Lantern Festival—Nantou—is blessed with beautiful scenery and picturesque landscapes. Therefore, this year’s small lantern design takes a travel-and-vacation theme and is named “Super-cute Horse.” It’s an adorable little horse that always brings blue skies, white clouds, and rainbow-like good moods. The year 2014 (which phonetically sounds like “love you forever”) and Valentine’s Day (which coincides with the Lantern Festival on February 14th) inspired the addition of “2014” and heart motifs on the little horse. Moreover, when you swing the small lantern back and forth, the whole horse appears to be running. Alternatively, you can secure the horse’s legs and tie the two straps together to form one long lead, allowing you to “walk” the horse on flat ground—offering more interactive fun between kids and their lanterns.
The adorable small lantern “Super-cute Horse” makes its debut. (Photo provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)
The “2014 Taiwan Lantern Festival” is scheduled to officially begin at 7:00 PM on Friday, February 14th (Lantern Festival), with the central lantern show performed once every full hour and at half past the hour. The festivities will continue until 10:00 PM on February 23rd. Due to limited parking around Zhongxing New Village in Nantou, all visitors are encouraged to take the high-speed rail to Taichung Station or the train to Yuanlin Station and transfer to shuttle buses to reach the festival site. Additionally, to accommodate lantern-viewing demand from Taichung residents, Nantou County Government has specially arranged shuttle buses from Taichung Tiger City Shopping Mall.
● Further Reading:
New Taipei Christmas Town Keeps Lights On Until Lantern Festival, Santa Switches Outfits for Lunar New Year
http://goo.gl/xVubVI