Blog

Those internet-famous lantern groups 

Have you ever heard of the Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival? Have you come across any news about Zigong lanterns on the Internet? Yes, the 31st Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival will be held again as the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches.

The "Tree of Life", known as the first "internet celebrity lantern" in the Zigong lantern industry, was the "star" of the 27th Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival. The full name of this lantern group is "Fantasy Jurassic", which was the first time that the Zigong lantern industry used cold tones to create the IP image of the lantern group. To endow a plant with a soul, it is necessary to give it a face full of vitality. After repeated refinement, the image of a "tree god" with the beauty of both Eastern and Western faces and ambiguous gender gradually became clear. This lantern group did not adopt the traditional layout of the main road corridor, but through the setting of multiple themes and levels, in addition to the landmark lantern group "Tree of Life", the other lantern groups progressed layer by layer and responded to each other, creating an immersive viewing experience and allowing tourists to enjoy the fun of viewing lanterns from multiple dimensions. As soon as the "Tree of Life" was unveiled, it quickly became popular on the Internet, triggering a wave of imitation by lanterns across the country. Thus, it marked the beginning of the era of giant half-human, half-tree lantern groups.

Drawing on the creative experience of "The Tree of Life", the same creative team has brought out the second-generation "internet celebrity lantern group" - the Goddess Jingwei. The section where the "Goddess Jingwei" is located is themed "Strange Tales of Mountains and Seas", and it has chosen the well-known story of Jingwei Filling the Sea from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". The "Goddess" has over two hundred "sea wave" hair strands on her head. During the process of making and installing, it takes three workers to move a longer hair strand. How popular is the "Goddess Jingwei"? According to industry insiders' estimation, at least one-third of the visitors to that lantern festival were attracted by the "Goddess Jingwei".

As the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake approaches, the "Rainy Lotus by the Lake" lantern display at the Baotu Spring in Jinan, the Spring City, has suddenly become a hit. It has almost single-handedly "stirred up" the lantern display scene, making the area around Daming Lake a popular spot for selfies. On social media, it has sparked a nationwide competition among "goddess lanterns".

After carefully studying the local culture and tourism features, and drawing on the "white moonlight" image of the fictional character "Summer Rain Lotus", they unleashed their imagination and decided to design the "Rainy Lotus by the Lake" lantern display based on the upper body image of the character, presenting a more gentle and soft image that resonates with the public's aesthetic preferences. This approach not only respects the traditional cultural aesthetic concepts but also innovates through modern design techniques, allowing the lantern display to both inherit the culture and showcase a unique artistic charm.

For the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake, new "internet-famous lantern groups" are being created in a rush in Zigong Lantern Festival, and there is more than one "competitor". According to the feedback from the organizing committee, "The White and Green Snakes" has the greatest potential to become an "internet-famous" lantern group. Firstly, there is a new breakthrough in its production. Secondly, its theme is the most in line with the Year of the Snake. Traditional Chinese culture and story elements are also used in the creation process.

Whether it is the Zigong Lantern Festival or lantern festivals in other places, Zigong lantern makers always pay attention to integrating traditional culture and stories into the creation of lantern groups. This is also the secret to the long-lasting popularity of Zigong lanterns.