Return of Taiwan lantern festival

TAIPEI: After a lapse of 23 years, locals and foreign tourists were treated to a spectacle as lanterns of different shapes and sizes were hung up for the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival.

Co-sponsored by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and the Taipei City Government, the 18-day grand festival was held from Feb 2 to 19 in conjunction with the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Adding to the excitement was the fact that the festival represented Taiwan’s first
large-scale international event since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted last October.

The subsection chief of the Tourism Development Division, Chiu Yimg Liang, said the lantern celebrations in Taiwan were a relatively low-key affair before the first Taiwan Lantern Festival, which was held in 1990. Since then, the annual extravaganza has become the largest and most notable event of its kind and has been held in different cities.

Embracing the theme “Light up the future”, the festival is a visual feast of lights with dazzling displays in the heart of the cities.

“The vibrant installations, featuring innovative lighting technology integrated harmoniously with traditional lantern art and culture would have some describe it as ‘Disneyland without roller coasters’.

“This year, the festival is spread over 168ha with four main exhibition areas, over 300 exhibits and 12 lantern areas. Among the districts in Taipei that were filled with lanterns were Xinyi and Daan.”

One of the main attractions was the “Brilliant Light of the Jade Hare” which was designed by Taiwanese artist Akibo Lee. The 22m lantern pays homage to Taiwan’s achievements in the semiconductor industry.

Embodying the best of technology and traditions, the robotic rabbit was produced using “performance capture technology” that enabled the exhibit to emulate the facial expressions of Taiwanese Olympic gold medalist weightlifter, Kuo Hsing-chun.

The robot was animated with lights and sounds every 30 minutes for about three minutes each time.

Another attraction was the “Spiral Dragon Brings Prosperity”, which was an arch at the entrance to the central display zone located in the Ximending district.

The lantern was inspired by Chinese folk tales and combines blessings with technology as the dragon is animated every 30 minutes.

Jeremy Chin, 24, took his girlfriend, Mei Jia, 23, to the festival to celebrate Valentine’s day.

“We live in Taipei and it has been a long time since the festival was held here, so I decided to bring her here to see all the colourful lanterns and shows instead of taking her to a restaurant.

“Mei Jia was as happy as I was to be here. It was a very memorable moment for us.”

Lillian Mah, 52, who arrived at the festival with her children and grandchildren said she missed it in the 23 years that it was not held.

“I was 29 years old the last time it was held here. It’s fun seeing all the lights and new technology on display.

“It is clear that with the use of technology and robotics, the lantern festival and Taiwan had progressed far.”

from Highlights https://ift.tt/1zX5yeG
via IFTTT