Written/compiled and reported by Li Xinyi
The Taiwan Lantern Festival has been listed as one of the "world's best festivals" in the TV special "Fantastic Festivals of the World" by the American Discovery Channel. This world-class festival will be held this year in Lukang Township, Changhua County. The main lantern of the "2012 Taiwan Lantern Festival" is named "Soaring Dragon Amidst Glorious Clouds," with a total height and span both exceeding 20 meters and a total weight of 40 metric tons, breaking the record for the largest main lantern in the festival’s history. To achieve energy saving and carbon reduction, all internal lighting is equipped with the latest high-tech energy-saving LED lights, totaling over 200,000 bulbs.
The main lantern of the 2012 Taiwan Lantern Festival is named "Soaring Dragon Amidst Glorious Clouds." (Photo provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)
The "2012 Taiwan Lantern Festival" will officially light up its main lantern at 7:00 PM on February 6 (Monday), which is the Lantern Festival. The main lantern will present a light show every half hour, with festivities continuing until 10:30 PM on February 19 (Sunday). To encourage the public to use public transportation to visit the lantern displays, Changhua County Government has specially arranged shuttle buses from Taichung HSR Station, Changhua Railway Station, and Yuanlin Railway Station, allowing visitors to transfer directly to buses that go straight to Lukang.
This year’s small lantern given out at the festival is named "Majestic Dragon." (Photo provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)
Additionally, for those driving their own vehicles, they can follow the signage system to park in one of the seven major parking lots around Lukang Township (with nearly 27,000 parking spaces), and then take a shuttle bus into Lukang to enjoy the lanterns. Visitors are advised to plan a schedule of "exploring Changhua during the day and viewing lanterns at night."