A full moon blazed in the sky, signifying the Lantern Festival across China. Particularly for this festival, lanterns break out of the typical round and red mold, taking on shapes limited only by the imagination.
At Bejing's Olympic Green, a special lantern exhibition was set up, as inspired by the epic Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. The iconic artwork is a peek into Chinese society during a Lantern Festival that took place over 800 years ago. Beijing's installation of lanterns features glowing lanterns replicating the painting's bridge, tower, and citizens from all societal levels.
"We spent a lot of time to set everything up," boasted Qiu Chaohui, head of the project. "There's more than 150 lanterns. It took more than a month."He also noted that over 10,000,000 rmb was spent creating the event (including the Ice Lantern exhibit which was not viewable during the buzzing opening night).
Multigenerational families, groups of friends and young couples all came out to see this luminescent version of the ancient painting replete with a handful of articulated robots who'd slowly raise and lower their arms. They bustled along the walkway and squeezed into place to pose for photos.
Creation of the lantern exhibit was certainly a painstaking operation, but it was hard to appreciate fully as it was across a waterway, about a hundred meters away from the viewing platform.
"It's a bit of a pity," said one Ms Gao. "You can picture it in your head instead of coming here personally. So it's not as great as what was advertised."She admits that the main cause of her dissatisfaction was the opening night 100 rmb price tag. Nonetheless, she enjoyed bumping into a few friends and seeing the festive atmosphere. "At least, going out is better than just staying at home."
Ms. An came brought her 2 year old daughter out for the night. “I used to see these kinds of performances when I was a child, but they seem to be fewer now. So I came here with my child. After all, this is a traditional festival in China, and appreciating lanterns is a kind of folk-custom." An enjoyed the show, but found it to be less than she expected, and she was surprised how far the lanterns were kept from viewers. “I think it’s better to be personally right in the scene.”
Some viewers postulated that the scene was held at distance possibly to keep people out of harm's way; across the country safety has become a higher priority after Shanghai's New Year's tragedy which involved a number of people being crushed to death. Qiu affirmed that 70 police officers and over 100 security workers were present to make sure people were spaced out and safe.
In addition to the painting-inspired lanterns, the avenue is lined with vendors selling stinky tofu, shish kebab meats and other traditional snacks. Some old school props let visitors pose for photos as if they were hawking meats or telling fortunes.
Since opening night, the price has dropped to 80 rmb, and now includes the adjacent Ice Lantern Festival.
Show ends March 8. Cost: 80 rmb, now includes Ice Lantern Festival exhibit.
Getting there: From subway Line 8's Olympic Green subway station, take exit B or D.
