Text by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network, compiled and reported
The 2013 Central Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held from Feb. 18 to March 3 at the Wenxin Forest Park. This year, for the first time, a snake-shaped main lantern—“Spiritual Serpent Guarding the Pearl”—will be introduced. The fully mechanical, interactive main lantern will be paired with live drumming to deliver a spectacular lantern show. Additionally, the opening night lighting ceremony will be held on Feb. 18 at the Yueman Outdoor Theater, featuring performances by Kang Kang, Chen Fangyu, and the Chemical Monkeys band. On Feb. 24, the Lantern Festival Gala will invite Japan’s Tottori Taiko Drum Group and the Model King Night for entertainment. The closing night on March 3 will feature performances by popular artists such as Ding Dang, Bii, Shi Wenbin, and Chen Shian. As for the highly anticipated mini lanterns, a total of 50,000 will be distributed starting Feb. 18 at service desks at the intersection of Xiangshang Road and Section 1 of Wenxin Road, among other locations.
The 15th Central Taiwan Lantern Festival will kick off in the evening of Feb. 18 at the Wenxin Forest Park. (Photo provided by Moleskine Editorial Department)
This year marks the 15th edition of the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival, which has long been nationally renowned for its cartoon-themed displays. Since its inception in 1999, the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival has never featured a snake-shaped main lantern before. This year, not only will a hyper-realistic snake design take center stage, but there will also be multiple features unique across the country—including a 27-meter-long spiritual serpent painted with colorful and prosperity coin patterns. A 90-meter-long mechanical track will allow the serpent to wind around a pearl and ascend to a height of 16 meters. The main lantern show, featuring live performances, has specially invited a former drummer from the U-Theatre troupe to create an awe-inspiring light and shadow theater with powerful drumbeats.
The secondary lantern area is designed as a “Happiness Fairyland,” featuring lanterns shaped like love fairies, double serpents united in heart, and kissing Black Tortoise babies. The “Fulfillment Light Corridor,” inspired by the ouroboros symbol, lets visitors walk through and immerse themselves in an auspicious and joyful atmosphere. The “Hope Mountain-Sea-Tun Light Corridor,” which echoes sustainable futures and incorporates light sculpture designs, invites the public to search for the happiness bluebird. By pedaling human-powered bicycles to generate energy, the hidden happiness bluebird in the lantern area will take flight into the night sky.
In the overseas lantern display section, lanterns from Hong Kong, Zigong City in Sichuan Province, and Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province will be exhibited. Among them, the world-famous Zigong Lantern Festival, after last year’s stunning vase lanterns, will bring this year grand symbolic lanterns and fan-shaped colored lanterns representing peace and prosperity, expected to create another sensation. Making its first appearance, Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province will present lanterns featuring the “Four Treasures of Qinling,” including the crested ibis, golden snub-nosed monkey, takin, and giant panda—local endemic animals—to promote the region’s scenic charm.
The widely anticipated mini lantern “Robo-Snake Girl Niuniu” can be collected from 6:00 PM daily from Feb. 18 to 24 at the service desks at the intersection of Xiangshang Road and Section 1 of Wenxin Road, and the intersection of Huilin Road and Section 7 of Datun Road. Separately, the “Central Taiwan Lantern Festival – Fengyuan Art Week” event, organized by the Fengyuan District Office, will also distribute mini lanterns from 6:00 PM daily from Feb. 18 to 24. Fengyuan will give out 10,000 mini lanterns on-site. Official website of the lantern festival: www.2013taichunglantern.com.tw.
● Read more: Taipei Lantern Festival mini lanterns unveiled, to be given out citywide and at the Flower Expo site on Feb. 23
http://goo.gl/R6F4I