The driving force

It was around then that the Zigong lantern industry began to thrive, thanks to the local government's commitment and support.

In 1987, the event was renamed the Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival and Trade Fair, because that year the Zigong Dinosaur Museum opened to exhibit the extensive collection of fossils unearthed in the area. "The festival and trade fair back then not only provided a prime opportunity for local enterprises to invite clients over for lantern appreciation and networking, but also promoted Zigong lanterns nationwide," says Wan, who is also the vice-president of a leading lantern making company in Zigong.

In 1988, Zigong artisans mounted a dragon lantern show in Beihai Park in celebration of Beijing International Tourism Year, drawing many visitors to the 35 lantern installations and 1,200-odd traditional craft lanterns on show.

The phenomenal success of the show in Beijing put the Zigong lantern festival on the map, attracting orders from around the country. This was also the year that local authorities set up a management committee to manage production, trade, promotion, research and training in the lantern industry.

In 1990, a Zigong lantern festival was held in Singapore, marking the first step in the global spread of the Sichuan folk event. To date, the festivals have been held in 500-odd Chinese cities as well as in over 80 countries and regions. In the first half of 2023, Zigong did 40 overseas lantern festival projects, with cultural exports worth $22.52 million, according to a local media report.

As the festive season nears, Zigong is working full throttle to fulfill orders worldwide. For example, it will supply lanterns for the celebrated Shanghai Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, an amusement park in Paris, which runs from Friday to Feb 25, to celebrate significant festivals, including Christmas, New Year's Day, and Spring Festival, and to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France.

Sixty lantern installations themed on the dragon, the zodiac animal of 2024, and other mythological figures and animals, together with a medley of Chinese folk art performances, will entertain Parisians, says Chen Jia, chief cultural officer of the Shanghai Yuyuan Tourist Mart company.

Zigong's thriving lantern business is considered a fruit of industrialization and collective inheritance, which distinguishes it from other lantern-making centers in the country.

A traditional craft in many parts of China, lantern making is usually passed down from generation to generation in families where techniques are carefully guarded and kept unchanged. But in Zigong, it has developed into an industry employing around 100,000 people and generating more than 5 billion yuan ($683 million) in annual earnings.