The annual Lantern Festival which usually runs a whole month has been featuring Zigong lanterns of different colors, shapes and sizes. (Photo : Getty Images)
Attended by representatives from the 46 foreign embassies in Beijing and hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the launching ceremony of the Zigong Lantern Festival's Global Campaign happened last Tuesday in Zigong of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The festival, which has started during the Tang Dynasty in China, has reached other regions in 1987 and over the years has expanded to more than 50 countries all over the world.
But these lanterns are set to light still more regions.
Zigong Mayor Liu Yongxiang announced during the ceremony its "Two Hundreds" campaign which targets to promote Zigong lanterns by conducting 100 shows in 100 Chinese and foreign cities. Another project is the "Lanterns on the Silk Road" which focuses on developing the export of Zigong lanterns.
The ceremony was supported by the Information Office of the Sichuan provincial government, the Sichuan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the local government of Zigong.
According to a Global Times report, a cooperation agreement was signed between CPAFFC and the government of Zigong who will hand in hand market the festival around the world.
Zigong lanterns are currently being displayed in foreign grounds such as Auckland, Houston, London and Montreal, and will be part of the 2017 G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, the report said.
Zigong is one of China's Historical and Cultural Cities and is referred to as the Lantern Town of the South Kingdom.
The annual Zigong Lantern Festival which usually runs a whole month has been featuring Zigong lanterns of different colors, shapes and sizes.
The lanterns are made of bamboo, porcelain, glass, silk and paper and may take on shapes that are based on legends, myths, historical accounts, folk customs, movies and TV stories.
