The Chinese lantern originated in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD). It is a symbol of luck. On the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar, Chinese people hang various lanterns everywhere to celebrate the traditional Lantern Festival.

Situated in the southern suburb of Xi’an, Sanzhao Village is well known as almost all the villagers make lanterns. They have been making lanterns there since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and now, their lanterns are popular in the domestic market and have been exported to South Korea and other regions.

Being good at making calabash lanterns, Huyan Songbo, over 60 years old, makes more than 2,000 lanterns per year (Women of China)

Red Lanterns Shining in the Village

As the Lantern Festival approaches, colorful lanterns in different shapes hang high on hustling Kangfu Street, the site of Xi’an’s largest commodity market. Most of the lanterns are made in Sanzhao Village.

Sanzhao Village is located in a southern suburb of Xi’an, 10 kilometers east of the Wide Goose Pagoda. Almost all of the local 1,200 families make lanterns. Huyan Gaili, a 14-year-old girl, said proudly, “I learned to make lanterns from my parents when I was very young. Almost all girls in the village can make lanterns.”

According to the senior villagers, the history of making lanterns in the village dates back to the Tang Dynasty. In the next 1,000 years the village contributed many lanterns to royal palaces. The lanterns they made were also given to relatives or hung in their own homes.
With the development of people’s quality of life, the lanterns have become more and more popular. The lantern industry in Sanzhao Village has become a large scale production. 

Sanzhao Village’s lanterns are not only popular in Xi’an and nearby regions, but also are sold in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and other regions. Some villagers have even exported their products to Hong Kong and South Korea. In 2003, the production value of lanterns made in the village amounted to five million yuan (US $0.6 million).

Huyan Jianyi, a grey haired old woman, said: “My skill at making lanterns comes from my parents and it has been handed down from one generation to another for more than 1,000 years. At present both the local government and the villagers want to utilize of our skills to improve their income.
“In 2000, Xi’an became the sister city of a South Korean city. Various cultural exchanges were held between the cities including making lanterns. I was chosen to take part in the activities three times in as many years. When in South Korea, we made two sets of big lanterns in a short time, which really impressed the local people.”

All the lanterns hanging on Xi’an’s City Wall and the South Gate are made in Sanzhao Village (Women of China)

Huyan Zhenyuan is a common villager in Sanzhao Village. Four of his five family members can make lanterns. His wife, Tang Chunyu, is a very skillful woman. She made many of the lanterns hung on the Xi’an City Wall and the Wide Pagoda during the Spring Festival. Tang is especially good at making silk lanterns like the exquisite “watermelon lantern,” elliptical “pot lantern” and the huge “fireworks lantern.”

In Tang’s courtyard, there is a huge palace lantern, four meters in diameter, which takes half the space of the yard. Tang said, “Before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, we plan to make 200 palace lanterns with a ten meter diameter and one with an eight meter diameter. They will be placed in a line to form a palace lantern group 2,008 meters long to celebrate the Beijing Olympic Games. At the same time, we can show lanterns from Sanzhao Village to the world and let more people appreciate Chinese lanterns.”

Lighting up the Night Sky

According to Chinese folklore, lanterns were said to be originally used at night to help mortals see the gods. Later on, fairy tales began to adopt them as symbols of love between the immortal and mortal worlds. Inspired by the beautiful legends, ancient craftsmen began making exquisite lanterns, which soon became one of most popular decorations for festivals and celebrations.

Originating as far back as the Western Han Dynasty, the basic Chinese lantern has remained unchanged in design. The sleeve or frame that surrounds the candle is assembled from pliable bamboo, sturdy redwood or inexpensive wire. To soften the harsh light of a naked flame, thin or oiled paper, gauze or silk fabric covers the frame to create the familiar flattering, soft glow.

In contrast to the simplicity of the standard spherical lantern, the zoumadeng (lantern of "galloping horses") was designed during the Song dynasty (960-1279), an era of innovation that included developments in type printing, gunpowder and paper currency. The zoumadeng features a painted coat revolving like a merry-go- round making it a great toy for kids. Instead of being glued onto the main frame, the coat is fastened to a revolving frame suspended by a vertical shaft and pasted with paper vanes. The heated air from the burning candle propels the vanes to turn the shaft, which, in turn,

It’s time for lantern business after four o’clock in the winter afternoon (Women of China)

drives the frame and the coat to revolve.

Nowadays, craftsmen equipped with modern techniques have created a great variety of dazzling lanterns. The traditional candle, for instance, has been replaced by electric lights to achieve special visual effects.

However, China's lanterns are more than just decorations. The placement and color of lanterns serve as a vital communication link in these tremendously communal residential areas. Since red connotes vitality and energy at its maximal state, a red lantern placed outside a doorway tells of a birth or marriage. A blue lantern, representing declining energy or sickness, indicates there is illness in the household. And white signifies energy eliminated or death, so a white sash draped across the top of the doorway, flanked by two white lanterns announces that the family is in mourning.
Simple lanterns are used in everyday life in China: to light the way home at night and to hang on boats or outside shops and homes. More elaborate lanterns are made for a major traditional holiday in China: Lantern Festival.

Chinese Lantern Festival

Chinese Lantern Festival falls on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of Chinese New Year Festivities. Because Chinese call the first lunar month Yuan month and the night was called Xiao in ancient China, the Lantern Festival is also named Yuanxiao Festival in China.
Chinese started to celebrate the Lantern Festival from the Western Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago and there are many different beliefs about its origin.

In one legend it is said that long long ago, there were lots of fierce animals in the world, which often injured human beings and their livestock. So people were organized to hunt those animals. A bird raised by the Jade Emperor in the Heaven lost its way in the world of human beings and was killed by those human hunters by mistake. The Jade Emperor was very angry and decided to destroy the human world by a storm of fire on the 15th of Yuan month.

However, his daughter, a kind-hearted fairy, heard about this and tried to save the people. She secretly warned all people to light lanterns and fireworks on that day. People did as the fairy said, and from the Heaven, it looked as if the human world was on fire. The Jade Emperor was satisfied that his bird had been avenged and the human beings are saved.

Two tourists are fascinated by lanterns hanging on Xi’an’s City Wall (Women of China)

From then on, on the first full moon of the Chinese New Year, people hung lanterns of different shapes and colors providing a spectacular backdrop for lion dances, dragon dances, and fireworks to celebrate the anniversary of their being saved.

Until the Tang Dynasty, the lantern displays lasted three days. Various Lanterns were hung in the royal palace and the streets. Huge “lantern trees” and “lantern towers” were built. The emperor also lifted the curfew, allowing people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. There are many Chinese poems describing this happy scene.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the festival was celebrated for five days. Colorful glass and even jade were used to make lanterns with figures from folk tales painted on them.

However, the longest Lantern Festival celebration took place in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which continued for 10 days. Emperor Chengzu once had the downtown area set aside as a center for displaying the lanterns.

Today, the display of lanterns is still an important event on the 15th day of the Yuan month for the Chinese, including those living abroad. People enjoy the brightly lit night. Thousands of colorful lanterns are hanging out for people to appreciate. Some cities in northern China even make lanterns from blocks of ice.

On that night, people try to guess the riddles on the lanterns, eat yuanxiao (small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour) and get together with their families in the joyful celebration of the Lantern Festival.

(Source: Women of China  English Monthly  February 2005)