Kaohsiung’s “National Palace Museum” Welcomes a Lantern Festival Showdown: Minions and the Leaning Postbox Make an Appearance

Text and Photos /Kuma

After watching the 3D light projection show in front of the Kaohsiung County Government, we decided to go admire the various lanterns first and come back later to see the light show again on our way home.

The 2015 National Palace Museum Opens Kaohsiung Gates – Celebrating Art & Lantern Fun was a series of celebratory events held for the upcoming opening of the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum. In addition to 3D light projection shows and performances, various themed lantern zones were set up along the Crown Prince Boulevard in front of the Kaohsiung County Government, leading all the way to the main entrance of the Southern Branch. The exhibition runs until next year’s Lantern Festival.

The lantern zones combined environmental themes with creativity, also featuring hot topics of the year: the Leaning Postbox and Minions on Apache helicopters—making for a diverse and lively display.

The whole lantern festival event, held to joyfully welcome the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, was very bustling. In addition to the lantern displays, there were food stalls, a fresh produce market, and a souvenir area. For children, the fun-filled lantern zone also included small amusement rides. Performances featured well-known bands, circus acts, and art troupes—there was so much going on that you’d fear not seeing enough rather than seeing too much.

The creative lantern zone used natural materials like bamboo weaving and sleepers to present Kaohsiung’s past and vision for the future. A large Peace Bamboo Weaving Gate was created to celebrate the opening of the Southern Branch.

In addition to the lantern works, various installation artworks could also be seen.

“Raise Your Glass to ‘Joy’” is a semi-relief artwork created by the artist guiding the public to mold cups, bowls, and plates they provided, then casting them with artificial stone and coloring them. The flowing water imagery around the tableware represents the continuous flow of human cultural activity.

Bear really liked this piece—it’s relatable to daily life and the colored paintings on it are very eye-catching.

The eco-friendly lantern zone features lanterns mainly made from recycled materials, showcasing the amazing results of clever designs using discarded items. At the entrance, three ladybugs of different sizes were especially eye-catching and adorable, becoming a popular photo spot for visitors.

Cute animals made of ironware are very popular with kids, and you can also find a Transformer made from scrapped car parts here.

There’s also a series of works depicting pastoral cityscapes made from driftwood.

Bear’s favorite was the Five Deer God of Wealth made from driftwood, standing in an area designed like Taiwan—its proud and spirited deer exudes a sense of prosperity and wealth.

The entrance to the Themed Story Lantern Zone, the Rainbow Heart Light Avenue, is the most popular and romantic. In this section, you can see lanterns themed around stories, fairy tales, and local beauty—also a hotspot for visitors taking photos.

Santa Claus in a reindeer suit, and a snowman modeled after Olaf bring the festive joy of Christmas.

The Bull Demon King from Journey to the West arrives carrying a watering can, still radiating awe-inspiring yet amusing energy.

The Taiwan blue magpie and wild boar also made cute appearances.

The quite imposing Owl King leads a group of little owls performing “The Forest Song” for visitors at the event.

There are lively and adorable little owls putting on a vivid show, while the majestic Owl King, upon close-up, turns out to be wearing little shorts and has visible abs—he’s been working out... =^^=

This year’s popular movie character, the Minions, also join the trending news topic of the Apache helicopters, becoming “Apache Minions”—super cute.

The internet-famous Leaning Postbox, bent by a typhoon, also makes an appearance in the lantern zone.

There are also popular cartoons loved by children: Peppa Pig, with a whole series of related displays.

The baseball-playing alligator with bold red lips is really amusing to Bear. Each lantern comes with an introduction to the artwork.

In the Religious Lantern Zone, you can admire distinctive lantern displays presented by different religions. Bear only walked through this area before heading back—not managing to see all the lanterns here. Aside from wanting to catch another 3D light projection show, time was running out as I needed to drive back to Kaohsiung. I’ll definitely come back again when I have the chance.

Just before leaving after watching the light show, there happened to be a performance by the band Strong Point. I didn’t get to see the circus acts, which were also amazing that day—it’s such a pity.

On the way back to the parking lot, the path was also lit with romantic colorful lights. Join the 66-day celebration of welcoming the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum and the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival—come be part of Kaohsiung’s grand event.

Finally, here are a few photos of the lanterns taken during the daytime—each offers a different charm compared to the night view.

Lantern Zone Layout Map

Stage Performance Schedule

Traffic Control Information Map

The light display area in front of Chiayi County Government will remain open until the Lantern Festival on February 22, 2016. The 3D light sculpture show, fireworks, performances, and traffic controls, however, will end on December 27, 2015. Those who wish to join more of the celebrations welcoming the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum should make the most of the last weekend.

2015 National Palace Museum Opens Chiayi Gates – Celebrate with Art and Lights
Period: December 19, 2015 ~ February 22, 2016
Note: 3D Light Sculpture and Performances End on December 27, 2015
Inquiry Hotline: (05)362-1855
Venue: No. 1, Section 1, Xianghe 1st Road, Taibao City, Chiayi County

◎ Official Website of the National Palace Museum Opens Chiayi Gates Event:http://www.chiayixmas.tw/

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