The 26-meter-tall Monkey King shines in golden glory — the tallest main lantern in Taiwan Lantern Festival history makes its debut

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Taoyuan

The 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held from February 22 to March 6 next to Taoyuan High-Speed Rail Station. This evening also marked the first test lighting of the main lantern “Creating Fortune Like the Monkey King,” attracting numerous visitors to the site to witness the majestic presence of the tallest main lantern in history.

▲The 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival main lantern “Creating Fortune Like the Monkey King,” standing 26 meters tall, sets a new record for the height of a main lantern. (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong, same below)

▲The “Universe Tower” crafted from 1,000 pieces of glass.

This year’s lantern festival covers an area of 32 hectares, making it the largest in history. Towering above the rest, the main lantern “Creating Fortune Like the Monkey King,” themed around the Monkey King, stands 26 meters tall, also setting a new record. The Monkey King lantern, holding a golden cudgel in his left hand, a celestial peach in his right, standing atop a somersault cloud, and clad in golden armor, presents a modern and technological style using full-color LED lights combined innovatively with 4D refraction effects to create a dazzling spectacle.

▲Lanterns in the shape of characters from “Yo-kai Watch,” which are popular with both children and adults.

In addition to the main lantern, the festival features four other lantern displays: “Dancing Peach Blossom Land,” “The Monkey Offering Peaches,” “Dreamlike Romance,” and “Birdsong and Floral Fragrance.” It also includes six themed zones: Religious Blessings, Technology World, and Multicultural Exchange, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the festive spirit of the Lantern Festival. This year, 15 glass manufacturers spent 12 days crafting the world’s first glass art lantern, the “Universe Tower,” using 1,000 pieces of glass. In the creative lantern zone’s Ocean Party, visitors can also step into a vivid 3D painted underwater world. The popular cartoon “Yo-kai Watch” lantern area was packed with both kids and adults eager to take photos.

▲This year’s welcome gate features an aviation-inspired design with local Taoyuan characteristics.

Following today’s test lighting ceremony, the 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival will officially open on the 22nd. At 14:00 on opening day, a street performance parade will kick off along Section 1 of the High-Speed Rail Avenue, featuring performances by groups from Kochi, Nagoya, Mie, Hokkaido in Japan, as well as local Taiwanese teams. The main lantern will be officially lit at 19:00, with a 3-minute light show performed every half hour.

▲The gently swaying “Sky Light and Water Rain.”

▲A lantern avenue created with 3,200 longevity peaches.