The 2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held in Tainan soon. It is also a major event to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Tainan. In addition to introducing international-level light and shadow art, it will also be linked to the Yuejin Port Lantern Festival, Longqi Light Festival, Kongshan Festival, Puji Lantern Festival and other well-known local lantern festivals. During the Lantern Festival every year, the Tainan City Government will hold the Yuejin Port Lantern Festival. Different from the past lantern festivals with the zodiac as the theme, this lantern festival uses the renovated Yuejin Port landscape environment as the base, integrating the local rich cultural connotations and innovative artistic beauty, and inviting domestic and foreign art teams to participate together, combining the scenery of the lake and the waterfront in the port, accompanied by the colorful colors of artistic lighting, under the interweaving of light and shadow, to create a stunning and unique sunset scene.
《2024 Tainan’s 400th Anniversary Tainan Lantern Festival Schedule》
- Anping Lantern Festival: February 3, 2014 (Sat) to March 10, 2014 (Sun), 37 days
- High-speed rail light zone exhibition period: February 24, 2014 (Sat) to March 10, 2014 (Sun), a total of 16 days
- Central (High Speed Rail) Light District: February 24 to March 10, 2014, for 16 days
- For more information, please see：Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau Administrative Service Website
In the poem “Traveling with Yu Gongze, Xiaoxian, Wang Yankuo and Danzi to Bailian Temple and Having Lunch at Dong’an before Returning”, Song Dynasty poet Zhao Fan wrote: “Birds are singing in the corner of the house, calling me to go in search of spring. The mountain path is eight or nine miles long, with three or four people sitting in the corner. I walk along the swaying pines and rest on the rugged rocks. Who says spring is still early? The mountain cherry trees are newly blooming.” In this late winter and early spring season, in addition to being able to go to the suburbs to see the beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom, there is actually another place that can rival the beauty of falling cherry blossoms and has a picturesque night view. That is the Tainan Yanshui Yuejin Port Lantern Festival, which calls itself “One Prefecture, Two Xiao, Three Monjia, Four Yuejin”. Although there are many lantern festivals in Taiwan, only the Taipei Lantern Festival has won the German Red Dot Design Award, known as the “Oscar Award in the Design Industry”.
During the event, every time the sun sets, colorful artistic lighting lights up, and the brilliant light cuts through the dull water surface. Yuejin Port is instantly given new life, just like the New York-American Museum of Natural History in the movie “Night at the Museum”. The landforms, river views, buildings and the company of light and shadow, tourists shuttle through it, the street scenes are poetic, and the reflections are picturesque. In this romantic and beautiful atmosphere, it is like a night art gallery. Therefore, the number of people going to Yuejin Port reaches new highs every year.
The theme of Yuejin Port Light Festival is “Gift/Now Present/Present: Living in the present is a gift. Give salt water and share it with everyone. Living at present is a present. It is a present for Yehshui and each of you.’ A common English word Present not only means “gift”, but also means “now”. This year, Yehshui Port wants to give everyone a unique gift.
After two years of living under the ravages of the pandemic, we have been forced to change many of our living habits and patterns. Perhaps the world has played a joke on us. An invisible virus has widened the distance between people. Friends and relatives, couples from the north and south, and overseas are no longer separated by time differences and hundreds of kilometers. What used to be a small matter of just one trip to meet each other is now so difficult. In the post-epidemic era, being able to live in the present and cherish every moment can be said to be the most profound understanding and expectation of people around the world in the past two years. We bravely move towards tomorrow and let the present embrace us tightly.
No one knows or predicts how the epidemic will develop in the future, but the most precious “gift” we have received is the “present”. Cherish every moment, seize every opportunity to meet with important, beloved, and good friends, and look forward to meeting again. This is the reminder from the world to us, and it is also what the Yuejin Hong Kong Light Festival wants to give to everyone: “Living in the present is a gift.”
The entire Yuejingang Lantern Festival can be divided into five major exhibition areas: Yuejingang Family Park, Yongcheng Theater, Yanshui Historical District, Yanshui Station, and Xinchuang Lantern District. There are a total of 83 artistic lighting fixtures, which can be said to be the most abundant one in the past ten years. Among them, my favorite art light area is No. 18 – Flying Moonlight. The design concept of this work comes from the environmental factors of Yanshui. Yanshui is an inland harbor naturally formed by the “inverted inland sea”. The appearance of the harbor is like a bright moon, hence the name Yuejin and Yuegang. Yanshui is like a town surrounded by the moon. The water flow in the harbor strings together the memories of the residents, and the ripples of the river circle around the encounters, understandings, and cherishments of those years.
In the work no.18, silver-black moons hang high and low, and beams of light fall like flowing water, like memories and moments woven together year after year. The light and shadows are reflected on the water, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere.
In addition to No.18 – Dazzling Moonlight, No.5 – Accompanied by the Moon is also impressive. During the Yuejin Port Light Festival, the originally simple Yanshui seemed to have entered a magical kingdom of Dreamland, where time and space both stopped at a splendid moment. This work is based on an orange-black moon, with lines of various colors presenting a sense of dancing and rotation. The name “Companion Moon” hopes to convey a state of mind of companionship. With the company of the moon, people can recall their childhood memories of searching for the stars and the bright moon with their playmates in the night light of the countryside. The smiles and happiness at that time were so precious and unforgettable.
The romantic atmosphere of the Yuejin Port Light Festival is not only suitable for couples to stroll hand in hand, but also a great place for friends and family to travel. Not only can you enjoy the beautiful scenery, but there are also many delicious snack vendors outside the exhibition area. On a cold winter night, a cup of warm almond tea or a string of delicious grilled sausages are both a kind of enjoyment after a walk. Therefore, tourists who come to Tainan in February may wish to enjoy the visual and taste experience and visit the Tainan Yanshui Yuejin Port Light Festival. It will be worth the trip and add beautiful and unforgettable memories to your trip to Tainan.
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