Foshan Lanterns of Guangdong
Bursting with colors--lighting up Lingnan's biggest, happiest party!
🏮Introduction
Foshan Lanterns: magic made by hand! For hundreds of years, people in Foshan have been bending bamboo and twisting wire into the coolest shapes. Then they wrap them in silk and shiny paper, and stick on special剪纸 that glitters like treasure. When the light goes on — whoa! Colors dance everywhere! Big dragons, brave heroes, flowers and fish — every lantern smiles and says: ‘Happy times and good luck to you!’
📍Stories
The Song Dynasty’s Light Debut
Foshan’s lantern tradition may trace back to the Song dynasty, when the festive customs of the Central Plains traveled south with migrating communities. In Foshan, fueled by bustling commerce and the rituals of local worship, these lights gradually evolved into a dazzling lantern culture all its own.
Lantern Parade: The Street Party
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Foshan saw the rise of the ‘Lantern Parade.’ Townsfolk carried colorful lanterns through the streets, turning the city into a carnival of lights. The lantern markets bustled with life, and lantern-making itself grew into a thriving craft and industry.
Fish-Scale Lanterns Take the Spotlight
Among Foshan’s dazzling lantern varieties, the ‘Fish-Scale Lantern’ stands out as the most unique. Its surface is decorated with copper-backed paper cuttings—lotus, fish, willow motifs—that, once lit, gleam in gold and jade, shimmering like scales in motion. Think of it as the ultimate bling-bling effect, making the lanterns steal the show under the night sky.
Five Sleepless Nights of Lantern Fairs
The Gazetteer of Nanhai County from the Kangxi era records: ‘On the Lantern Festival, a grand lantern market is held—paper cuttings bloom into flowers, and lanterns shine for five nights.’ In Foshan, the lantern fair blazed on without sleep, becoming a carnival for all. It was, in essence, the ancient all-night lantern party—proof that nightlife had already begun centuries ago.
Lanterns on a World Tour
Foshan’s lanterns were not only beloved locally, but also exported to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Celebrated as the ‘King of Chinese Lanterns,’ they even earned a place in the World Records Almanac multiple times.
🎊Lantern Spectacular
Here comes the dragon lantern
the whole place lights up with ‘Ooooh’! ‘Party mode:
ON — go big or go home!
Blooming flowers of light — even the hot air balloons want in!
Step into this sea of lanterns, and hearts just lift off and fly.
Twirl it around
and a tale unfolds from within.
Meet the lantern triplets at Foshan Fair:
one’s cute, one’s graceful, and one’s just cheeky!
Bunny lights, lucky gold,
red fish, lotus glow
a parade of lanterns, all lined up and loaded with luck!
🎬Journey into the Lantern Wonderland
Lanterns? More than just pretty faces — they know how to have fun!
Endless Lights, Timeless Stories
Foshan lights, hear them roar — dancing like lions, bouncing and more!
Next light? Let’s shine a brand-new story together!
📚Source:
Baidu Baike
China Intangible Heritage Network
Guangdong Provincial Information Center
Chinese Lantern Museum
Sohu
Sohu
Southern Finance Omnimedia Group
Southern Plus
and more information