The Art of Light: A Journey Through the Luminous World of Lanterns

Walk down the street of a bustling Chinatown at night, or wander through a park during a winter festival, and you will likely see them: glowing orbs of red and gold, casting a warm, inviting light into the darkness.¹ There is arguably no more prominent symbol of Chinese culture in the global imagination than the red lantern.¹ It is an image so potent it transcends language, evoking feelings of celebration, warmth, and good fortune. But what stories do these simple objects of paper and light hold? The lantern is far more than a mere decoration; it is a vessel of history, a canvas for artistry, and a beacon of collective human hope.¹ This report embarks on a journey to explore the luminous world of lantern art, tracing its path from the practical needs of ancient China, through the splendour of imperial courts and the reverence of spiritual festivals, to the high-tech, large-scale art installations of the 21st century.

From Humble Flame to Imperial Decree: A History Forged in Light

The remarkable evolution of the lantern from a purely utilitarian object to a powerful cultural and political symbol is a story that mirrors the development of Chinese civilisation itself. It is a history built upon layers of practicality, spirituality, imperial power, and folk imagination, with each era adding a new coat of meaning to this enduring artifact.

The Dawn of the Lantern in the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)

The story of the lantern begins not with ceremony, but with a simple, practical need. During China’s Eastern Han Dynasty, the first lanterns were constructed for the sole purpose of protecting a candle’s delicate flame from the wind.¹ These early creations were humble, fashioned by stretching materials like silk, paper, or even animal hide over a rudimentary frame of bamboo, wood, or wheat-straw.¹

A pivotal moment in the lantern’s history arrived with the flourishing of Buddhism in China. Monks adopted the lantern as part of their worship, lighting it on the 15th day of the first lunar month to honour the Buddha.⁴ This religious rite caught the attention of the devoutly Buddhist Emperor Ming of Han. He was so moved by the practice that he ordered all temples, households, and the imperial palace itself to light lanterns on that same evening. With this decree, a spiritual observance was transformed into a widespread folk custom, laying the foundation for what would become the Lantern Festival.⁴ Even in this early stage, the lantern began to accumulate symbolic weight, serving as a wayfinding guide for shops—a kind of “candlelit take on the modern billboard”—and representing a hopeful letting go of the past.¹

An Age of Splendour and Romance in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)

During the Tang Dynasty, a period of immense peace and prosperity, the lantern’s role expanded significantly. Citizens began to light lanterns as a public expression of gratitude for their prosperous lives and to showcase the strength and power of their nation.⁴ The first concrete historical evidence of the Lantern Festival as a major, organised celebration dates to this era.⁹

The lantern also became woven into the fabric of personal rituals. In one tradition, parents would have a teacher light a lantern for their child on the first day of school, a symbolic blessing for a bright and promising academic future.¹ The Lantern Festival also blossomed into a unique social occasion for romance. It was one of the few times of the year when young, unmarried people were chaperoned in public in the evening, with matchmakers busily attempting to pair suitable couples under the soft glow of the lanterns.¹

Imperial Flourishes and Folk Legends

Throughout Chinese history, imperial patronage played a key role in elevating the art of the lantern. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty declared the festival one of the most important celebrations in the calendar, ordering that the ceremony should last throughout the night.¹¹ Centuries later, during the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang initiated the grand spectacle of releasing thousands of floating lanterns onto the Qinhuai River, a tradition that created a stunning river of light.⁹

At the same time, rich folk traditions emerged to explain the festival’s origins, embedding it deep within the popular imagination. The most prevalent of these legends tells of the powerful Jade Emperor, who became enraged when villagers accidentally killed his favourite goose. He planned to destroy the town with fire as punishment. However, a compassionate spirit intervened, advising the townspeople to hang red lanterns from every home on the appointed day. When the emperor’s troops arrived, the sea of red light made it appear as though the village was already engulfed in flames. Fooled by the illusion, the emperor spared the town, and in gratitude, the villagers commemorated their salvation every year by filling their streets with red lanterns, forever linking the objects with protection and deliverance.⁹

Another beloved tale provides a charming, human-centric origin for both the festival and its traditional food. A palace maid named Yuan-Xiao longed to see her family during the New Year but was forbidden from leaving the palace. The emperor’s clever advisor, Dongfang Shuo, devised a plan to help her. He spread a rumour that the God of Fire was going to burn down the capital city. He then “advised” the panicked emperor to appease the god by ordering every household to hang red lanterns and to cook sweet rice balls, which happened to be Yuan-Xiao’s specialty. During the city-wide preparations, Yuan-Xiao was joyfully reunited with her family. This legend not only reinforces the protective power of lanterns but also gives a name to the festival’s signature treat, yuanxiao (or tangyuan).⁹

The Soul of the Lantern: Craft, Materials, and Artistry

The lantern is more than its history; it is a physical object of sophisticated craft and a canvas for profound artistic expression. From the weaver’s hands that shape its frame to the painter’s brush that graces its surface, every element of a traditional lantern is part of a meticulous artistic process. While modern technology has transformed the scale of lantern art, the core principles of form, light, and symbolism remain.

The Weaver’s Hand and the Painter’s Brush: Traditional Craftsmanship

The creation of a traditional lantern is a testament to natural engineering and artistic skill. The process begins with the skeleton, a frame typically crafted from materials like bamboo, wood, or rattan, chosen for their unique combination of flexibility and strength.² The construction requires immense skill, with regional variations in technique. For example, Teochew lanterns feature self-supporting frames woven around a mould, while Foochow lanterns are built with a collapsible central structure.¹⁷

Once the frame is complete, it is covered with a delicate skin of paper or silk, materials prized for their beautiful translucency.¹ For more luxurious versions, such as the ornate Palace Lanterns, artisans might use fine gauze or even glass panels.²

The final stage, decoration, is where the lantern transforms into a true work of art. The surface becomes a canvas for a range of classical Chinese arts:

• Painting: Using the same brush and ink techniques as traditional scroll painting, artists would adorn the lanterns with intricate designs. These could range from the highly detailed and precise gongbi (“meticulous”) style to the more fluid and expressive xieyi (“freehand”) style.²
• Calligraphy: As the most revered art form in Chinese culture, calligraphy was a natural choice for lantern decoration. Beautifully rendered characters would convey auspicious wishes for health, prosperity, and a long life.¹²
• Other Crafts: Techniques such as intricate paper-cutting and delicate embroidery were also employed, adding layers of texture and complexity to the finished piece.⁴

Tradition Meets Technology: The Modern Material Palette

In stark contrast to the traditional workshop, modern lantern production has embraced new materials to meet the demands of durability and scale. The delicate bamboo frames are often replaced with sturdy steel wire, which can support colossal structures unimaginable in the past.¹³ The fragile paper and silk skins have given way to weather-resistant fabrics like nylon or even moulded plastic and resin for large-scale festival installations that must withstand the elements.¹⁹

The most significant technological leap has been the shift from the flickering candle to the vibrant LED light.³ This innovation has not only made lanterns dramatically safer by eliminating the risk of fire but has also unlocked a universe of artistic possibilities. Modern lanterns can now feature dynamic, programmable light shows with a dazzling array of changing colours, transforming a static object into a kinetic light sculpture.¹⁹ This evolution from ephemeral craft to durable spectacle is a direct result of these material and technological advancements, allowing what was once a localised, temporary display to become a global, commercial phenomenon.

A Visual Language: The Symbolism of Lanterns

Every aspect of a traditional lantern, from its colour to its shape to the images painted upon it, is part of a rich symbolic language. Understanding this visual vocabulary deepens the appreciation of the art form.

The most powerful element is colour. Red is ubiquitous, a potent symbol of good fortune, happiness, vitality, and prosperity. It is the colour of celebration, used for everything from New Year festivals to weddings and births.² Yellow was historically the colour of the emperor, signifying royalty and power, though today it can also bring good luck to students.⁷ Conversely, white and blue are traditionally associated with mourning and illness, respectively, and a white lantern hung at a doorway signifies a death in the family.²

The classic round or oval shape of most lanterns is also deeply meaningful, symbolising wholeness, togetherness, and family reunion—a visual echo of the full moon that presides over the Lantern Festival.¹² The motifs painted on the lantern’s surface add further layers of meaning, creating a canvas of auspicious symbols.

A Constellation of Forms: A Guide to Lantern Types

While the round red lantern is the most famous, the world of lantern art is populated by a diverse array of forms, each with its own unique history and purpose. These types are not merely stylistic variations; they represent a sophisticated worldview, with lanterns designed as ritual tools to interact with different realms of the cosmos: the terrestrial, the celestial, and the aquatic.

Hanging Lanterns: The Everyday Icons

Hanging lanterns are the most common type, designed to illuminate the terrestrial, human world. They adorn homes, businesses, and public spaces, serving social, decorative, and status-affirming functions.⁶ This category includes:

• The Common Lantern: This is the classic round or oval lantern, typically red, hung to bring good luck and create a festive atmosphere, especially during the Chinese New Year.³
• Palace Lanterns (Gong Deng): These are the aristocrats of the lantern world. Once reserved for imperial palaces and the homes of high-ranking officials, they are masterpieces of craftsmanship, known for their exquisitely carved fine wood frames, intricate paintings, and delicate silk or glass panels. They are powerful symbols of wealth and high social status.⁴
• Gauze Lanterns (Sha Deng): Celebrated for their lightweight and delicate beauty, these lanterns are made with translucent gauze stretched over a fine bamboo or wire frame, making them a popular choice for festivals.¹³
• Revolving Lanterns (Zou Ma Deng): These are a form of whimsical entertainment. A candle inside the lantern generates a current of hot air that turns an inner wheel of paper-cut figures. This projects a moving shadow play onto the outer shade, often depicting scenes of galloping horses, blooming flowers, or mythical tales.¹⁶

Sky Lanterns (Kongming Deng): Messengers to the Heavens

Sky lanterns are designed to leave the human world and travel to the celestial realm. They are, in essence, small hot air balloons made of lightweight paper with an opening at the bottom where a small flame is suspended.⁴ Their invention is credited to the brilliant Three Kingdoms-era military strategist Zhuge Liang (also known as Kongming), who is said to have used them to send military signals and confuse his enemies.⁴

Today, their purpose is almost entirely spiritual and aspirational. People write their wishes, hopes, and prayers onto the surface of the lanterns before releasing them into the night sky. This act symbolises letting go of past troubles and misfortunes while sending one’s hopes for a brighter future up to the heavens.³ While a beautiful and moving tradition, the use of sky lanterns has raised modern concerns about fire hazards, leading to their regulation or outright ban in many areas.¹⁶

Water Lanterns (He Deng): Guiding the Spirits

Water lanterns occupy a liminal space, designed to float on the aquatic boundary between the world of the living and the realm of spirits. These lanterns are placed on rivers, lakes, and streams in ceremonies to honour ancestors, guide the souls of the deceased, and pray for good fortune.³ The light is believed to be a beacon for lost ghosts, leading them from their wandering to a place of peace, making this ritual a central part of observances like the Ghost Festival.¹⁶ Water lanterns are often crafted in the shape of a lotus flower, a potent Buddhist symbol of purity, enlightenment, and rising above worldly troubles.⁴

Festivals of Light: A Tour of Lanterns Across Asia

The lantern is the heart of some of Asia’s most vibrant and spiritually significant festivals. While often seen as a quintessentially “Chinese” symbol, its widespread adoption and creative adaptation across the continent reveal its true nature as a powerful, cross-cultural platform for expressing shared human themes of remembrance, hope, purification, and celebration. The lantern is not the message itself, but the universal medium of light through which each culture tells its own story.

The Heart of the Celebration: China’s Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Jie)

Serving as the grand finale to the 15-day Chinese New Year period, the Lantern Festival takes place on the 15th day of the first lunar month, coinciding with the first full moon of the new year.² It is a time for family reunion and community celebration, a feast for the senses marked by several key activities:

• Viewing Lanterns: Streets, parks, and homes are festooned with countless lanterns of every conceivable shape and size, from simple globes to elaborate, multi-storied structures. Major cities like Nanjing host massive international lantern festivals that attract visitors from around the world.⁵
• Solving Riddles (Cai Deng Mi): A beloved and intellectually stimulating tradition involves writing riddles on the lanterns for festival-goers to solve. In ancient times, these puzzles were known as “literary tigers” (wénhǔ), as solving them was thought to require the strength of a tiger’s mind. Those who guess correctly often win a small prize.³
• Performances and Food: The festive atmosphere is amplified by lively dragon and lion dances, grand parades, and dazzling fireworks displays.⁹ No celebration is complete without eating sweet rice balls called
  yuanxiao or tangyuan. Their round shape symbolises family togetherness and completeness, making them the perfect food to conclude the New Year festivities.⁹

A River of Light, A Sky of Hope: Thailand’s Yi Peng and Loy Krathong

In Northern Thailand, particularly in the city of Chiang Mai, two distinct festivals of light often converge in November, creating one of the world’s most breathtaking spectacles.¹⁸

• Yi Peng: This festival, with roots in the ancient Lanna Kingdom, is the celebration of the sky lantern, or khom loi.³⁰ The mass release of thousands of these glowing lanterns into the night sky is a deeply spiritual act. Each lantern carries away the sender’s misfortunes and worries, while also sending wishes for future good luck to the heavens. It is also an act of reverence to the Buddha.²⁹
• Loy Krathong: While Yi Peng fills the sky, Loy Krathong illuminates the water. During this festival, participants release small, beautifully decorated floats called krathong onto rivers and lakes. Traditionally made from banana leaves and adorned with flowers, incense, and a candle, this act serves two main purposes: to give thanks to Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water, for the year’s life-sustaining bounty, and to apologise for polluting her waters. It is a symbolic gesture of letting go of grudges, anger, and other negativities.²⁹

Beyond China: A Glimpse of Other Luminous Traditions

The lantern’s adaptable symbolism has allowed it to flourish in various cultural and religious contexts across Asia.

• Japan’s Obon Festival: During this Japanese Buddhist festival honouring the spirits of ancestors, paper lanterns known as toro are lit and hung in front of homes to guide the spirits of the departed back to their families for a brief reunion.³⁵
• Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu): Also known as the Children’s Festival, this celebration sees children parading through the streets at night carrying lanterns of whimsical shapes, such as stars, fish, and butterflies, creating a joyful and innocent spectacle.¹⁸
• The Philippines’ Christmas Parol: In a unique example of cultural and religious fusion, the Philippines has adapted the lantern tradition into a cornerstone of its Christmas celebration. The parol, a star-shaped lantern symbolising the Star of Bethlehem, is the country’s most iconic Christmas symbol, hung in every home and window during the holiday season.¹⁸

The Lantern Reimagined: Modern Spectacles and Contemporary Art

In the 21st century, the ancient art of the lantern has embarked on two divergent yet equally compelling evolutionary paths. One path has led to the creation of maximalist, global spectacles that prioritise immersive entertainment. The other has led to minimalist, conceptual abstraction, as contemporary fine artists deconstruct the lantern to its elemental essence: light itself. Both journeys, however, are fueled by the same timeless human fascination with being enveloped and moved by a luminous environment.

The Global Lantern Festival: A Modern Spectacle

The traditional village festival has been transformed into a massive, touring commercial enterprise. Companies like Tianyu Arts & Culture and Hanart Culture now produce spectacular lantern exhibitions that travel the globe, turning city parks, zoos, and fairgrounds into dazzling wonderlands of light.⁵

These modern festivals are defined by their grand scale and thematic fusion. Towering lantern displays, some reaching up to 30 feet high and stretching over 100 yards long, depict not only traditional Chinese dragons and phoenixes but also scenes from around the world.²⁶ Visitors can walk through illuminated replicas of the Amazon jungle, the African savanna, or a prehistoric world filled with life-size dinosaurs, alongside displays for holidays like Halloween and Christmas.²⁶ These are multi-sensory, interactive events, combining the visual art with sprawling food festivals, live music and dance performances, merchandise fairs, and family-friendly activities like dressing up in traditional Hanfu clothing or riding on a mechanical dinosaur.²⁶

Light as a Medium: The Lantern in Contemporary Art

While one path has led to commercial expansion, another has led to the art gallery and museum. Contemporary artists are exploring the lantern not just as a cultural artifact but as a source of inspiration for profound artistic inquiry.

• Traditional Masters, Modern Messages: Some artists use traditional techniques to create works with contemporary relevance. The celebrated Taiwanese master Hsiao Tsai-kan, for example, uses his decades of experience in bamboo-and-paper craftsmanship to create lanterns that convey social and political messages, proving the ancient form can be a powerful medium for modern storytelling.³⁹ Similarly, Irish artist Tom Meskell adopts traditional lantern-making methods to build poignant, large-scale sculptural installations. His works include a formation of 50 life-sized human figures to commemorate innocent civilians killed in conflict and a “Light Brigade” of 19 magnificent horse lanterns, using the delicate medium to explore themes of history and memory.⁴⁰
• Abstract Light Artists: Other artists have stripped away the lantern’s cultural iconography to focus on its fundamental component: light. These artists are the conceptual descendants of the first person to enclose a flame in paper. While they may not create “lanterns” in the traditional sense, their work explores the same principles of illumination, perception, and the creation of emotional responses through light. Artists like Dan Flavin, with his minimalist sculptures of commercial fluorescent tubes, and James Turrell, who sculpts entire rooms with ambient and projected light, manipulate light to alter our perception of space.⁴¹
  Olafur Eliasson creates immersive sensory environments using light and colour, while Peruvian-American artist Grimanesa Amorós builds large-scale, culturally inspired sculptures from LED tubes.⁴¹ The Living Lantern by NEON Studio, a kinetic, wind-responsive structure that filters light through a dynamic outer membrane, perfectly embodies this abstract evolution of the lantern’s core idea.⁴⁴

Conclusion: A Light for the Future

The journey of the lantern is a remarkable odyssey spanning two millennia. It began as a simple, practical necessity—a shield for a flame. From this humble origin, it was elevated into a complex symbol, layered with the meanings of spiritual devotion, imperial power, folk mythology, and joyous celebration. Today, it continues to evolve, branching into a medium for both global, populist entertainment and avant-garde artistic inquiry.

The lantern’s enduring power lies in its profound and universal symbolism. At its heart, it represents one of humanity’s most ancient and deeply held metaphors: light as a symbol of hope, knowledge, community, and life itself in the face of darkness. As it has for centuries, the image of a single lantern—whether hanging from a doorway, painted on a canvas, or floating into the night sky—continues to represent the timeless human act of sending a wish for a brighter future into the great unknown. It is a light that has illuminated our past and will undoubtedly continue to evolve and shine into our future.

Craft Your Own Light

You can create a tangible connection to this ancient art form by making a simple paper lantern at home. This guide uses common household materials.

Materials Needed:

• Two sheets of construction paper, preferably in contrasting colours (e.g., one red, one yellow) ⁸
• Scissors ²⁰
• A ruler and pencil (optional, for precision) ⁴⁵
• Glue, tape, or a stapler ⁴⁶

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Prepare the Outer Shell: Take one sheet of paper (e.g., red). Fold it in half lengthwise (hot dog style).⁴⁵
2. Cut the Slits: Starting from the folded edge, use scissors to cut a series of parallel slits. Stop cutting about one inch from the open, unfolded edge. The closer together you make the slits, the more intricate your lantern will look.⁴⁵ Do not cut the strips off completely.
3. Create the Handle: Before unfolding, cut one long strip off the end of the paper to use as a handle. Set it aside.⁴⁶
4. Form the Lantern: Unfold the paper. Gently curve it into a cylinder shape, bringing the two short ends together. Secure the ends with tape, glue, or staples at the top and bottom.⁴⁶
5. Add an Inner Core (Optional): For a two-toned effect, take the second sheet of paper (e.g., yellow) and roll it into a cylinder that is slightly narrower and taller than your red lantern. Secure it with tape or glue. Slide this inner core inside the red lantern shell. The contrasting color will shine through the slits, giving the illusion of light.⁴⁷
6. Attach the Handle: Take the strip of paper you set aside in step 3. Attach it to the top of the lantern with tape, glue, or staples to create a handle.⁴⁶
7. Decorate: Feel free to decorate your lantern with markers, glitter, or stickers before assembling it.²⁰

Safety Note: This lantern is made of paper and is for decorative purposes only. DO NOT use a real candle or any open flame inside it. If you wish to illuminate your lantern, use a small, battery-operated LED candle or fairy lights.⁴⁵

Disclaimer

This report has been compiled for general informational and educational purposes. The information is based on a collection of publicly available sources, and while every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, cultural practices, historical interpretations, and festival dates may vary. Readers are advised to consult multiple sources for scholarly research. When participating in any lantern-related activities, especially those involving fire or the release of sky lanterns, please exercise extreme caution and adhere strictly to all local laws, regulations, and safety guidelines.

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