Chinese lanterns are the traditional culture of China and have long history over thousand years. Lanterns are hung outside each house to celebrate when some important festivals come, and in the ancient time Chinese people also use the lanterns for lighting because of lacking of the high technology on electricity.
Travelers visiting the three gateways of China – Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are often dazzled by the neon lights and breathtaking skylines. But carefully peel away the glass-and-chrome veneer you discover another image synonymous with China: a cheery, red, round paper lantern (deng). With its sacred vermilion hue and the lucky roundness of yuan, the Chinese lantern symbolizes long life and is the supreme totem of good luck.
China’s paper lanterns are more than just decorations; Since 250 B.C. they have silently spoken of births, deaths, social status and approaching danger. Since red connotes vitality and energy at its maximal state, a red lantern placed outside a doorway tells of a birth or marriage. Originating as far back as 250 B.C., 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 zouma deng (走马灯 zǒu mǎ dēnɡ, trotting horse lamp) lantern was designed during the Song dynasty (960-1279), an era of innovation that included developments in type printing, gunpowder and paper currency. The zouma deng resembles a miniature pavilion with upturned eaves. An inner wire shaft is fitted with paper vanes, and the heat current generated from the flame rotates the shaft, setting a paper cutout in a charming merry-go-round motion, hence the name, since zouma deng means "roundabout."
The lantern played an important role in military communications, particularly when the Chinese Empire was divided into three warring kingdoms. The Chinese historical tome Romance of the Three Kingdoms, set during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), describes how the respected military strategist and war hero Zhuge Liang (nicknamed Kung Ming, 诸葛亮Zhūɡě Liànɡ) made a special lantern designed to alert neighboring ally cities of approaching attack or danger. A strip of kerosene-soused cloth or paper was ignited and placed inside a lamp that floated upward into the night sky.
In times of peace, the size and elevation of lanterns hanging outside houses indicated social status in Chinese society. To show off wealth, Chinese elite hung lanterns made of silk velvet from second-floor balconies and verandas. Lanterns belonging to the rich were so large that they required several men with poles to hang them.
Subsequently, paper alone was used to make decorative lanterns. Paper lanterns are fashioned in a myriad of shapes and sizes, from crepe paper rabbits and fish to cellophane birds and planes with glitter-covered wings. Another change to the traditional Chinese lantern is the introduction of battery-operated candles taking the place of lit candles.
They are crystallizations of Chinese wisdom and have the characters on high value of art, flowing lines, rich structure. What's more, some lanterns not only have elegant lines and engraved designs, but also were decorated with Chinese characters, portraits of historic figures, pictures of the divinities of some legends, and the landscape of China, which perfectly blend the nature with the humanistic ideas and thus vividly reflect the high level of civilization of the society at that time. Chinese lanterns can not only give people attractive visual effects but ignite the people's good wishes for life.
According to the Chinese calendar, the 15th night of the eighth month (usually in September or October) is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The tradition of Mid-Autumn Festival paper lanterns is said to date back to the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 to A.D. 907), when an emperor commissioned the construction of 30 enormous lantern-towers, each 1,500 feet high, and ornately decorated with gold, silver, jade and precious gems. While most people could not replicate such elaborate lanterns, the lantern tradition took hold in the form of transparent paper on thin silk.
On the 15th day of the Chinese New Year (calculated according to the lunar calendar, and usually falling in January or February), people celebrate the Lantern Festival, a colorful way to mark the formal completion of the new year festivities and to light the way into spring and a new year. Even the rural countryside gets in on the act with the lighting of hundreds of homespun lanterns strung across streets and on homes, appearing from afar like tiny galaxies.
The Lantern Festival traditionally includes displays of beautifully crafted paper lanterns, often made in the shapes of Chinese zodiac signs, as well as lions, dragons and other popular symbols of good fortune. Sometimes lanterns include riddles written on attached strips of paper.
Small prizes are awarded to the successful riddle solvers. This was originally a practice whereby scholars could prove how knowledgeable they were, but it has become a popular practice for anyone to try.The enduring symbols of good fortune and prosperity as it flicker and survive another century of Chinese history.
