Lanterns blending China's intangible cultural heritage with technology have been set up in Zigong, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province renowned for its centuries-old lantern-making craftsmanship and rich deposits of dinosaur fossils.
Zigong bears the titles of "Hometown of Dinosaurs" and "City of Lanterns."
The 32nd Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival will open to the public on Friday, offering visitors a dazzling display of immersive visual feast.
Themed "China illustrated with lanterns", this year's festival meticulously integrates intangible heritage skills like colored lantern crafting, tie-dye, and paper-cutting with Chinese mythological epics and classic tales, creating over 200 distinctive lantern sets.
In a novel approach, the festival also incorporates technologies such as AI interaction, smart touch control, and light-sensing. Visitors can trigger changes in sound and light with a touch, and interact with virtual singers and simulated mechanical dinosaurs.
Highlights include the 180-meter-long "legend of Mulan", created for the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse, which blends Hua Mulan's heroic bearing with galloping steeds, showcasing patriotic sentiment.
Hua Mulan was a legendary Chinese heroine of the the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), who took her elderly father's place in the army, disguised herself as a man, and fought in wars for 12 years, gaining great honor.
The 35-meter-high "Gate of the Chinese Knot", inspired by the time-honored Chinese symbol, achieves visual consistency on both front and back sides, resembling a portal connecting past and present.
Lanterns all set for 32nd Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival
