the lanterns light up the land

Zigong, in southwest China, is the lantern capital of the world. The 2,000-year-old tradition is revisited: multicolored, in all shapes and sizes. More than 10,000 visitors come from all over the country to wander around every night. An hour is necessary to go around the park, to plunge back into childhood, and into Chinese myths and traditions. “A divine bird was killed by a hunter. God wanted to kill the men, but the latter made believe that the earth was on fire, by lighting lanterns”explains Li Ying, festival guide.

In Zigong, everything revolves around the lantern. Nearly a thousand factories produce it in the city of three million inhabitants. About 2,000 artisans are currently employed in the largest, Lantern Group. It’s lantern season, culminating in the Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrated on February 1. Everything is sewn, laid and painted by hand. Some structures are monumental and the realism is sometimes stunning. The company created in the 1930s sees its turnover grow every year, because the lanterns seduce all over the world.