The Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications unveiled Dec. 28 in Taipei City the main lantern of the 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival, which will be held in the western county of Yunlin from Feb. 11-19 next year.
Representing the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac, the 23-meter-high display is shaped like a phoenix, an auspicious mythological creature in Chinese culture. It will be erected in Huwei Township next to the Yunlin High Speed Rail Station.
The main display boasts 19,000 sets of circuits for LED lights and 12 million pixels, and is decorated with over 200 crystals, the bureau said. Sugar cane, one of Yunlin’s most famous products, was used to make reflective surfaces and refraction crystals to enhance the lighting, it added.
The giant phoenix will be the centerpiece of a light and sound show taking place every 30 minutes during the festivities.
Hand-held paper lanterns that will be given out during the festival were also revealed at the ceremony. They can be converted into either a chicken or an egg, an homage to “the chicken or the egg” dilemma.
According to the Yunlin County Government, the event will be held at venues in three areas of the county and span a total of 51 hectares. County officials said they expect 10 million visits and NT$8 billion (US$247.8 million) to NT$10 billion in tourism revenue.
The previous Taiwan Lantern Festival, held in Taoyuan City from Feb. 22 to March 6, recorded over 20 million visits, according to the Tourism Bureau.
Launched in Taipei City in 1990, the festival has been held at a different location every year since 2001, allowing the cities and counties of Taiwan to show off their unique characteristics. The annual Taiwan Lantern Festival has become one of the most popular attractions in the nation for both local and international tourists. (KWS-E)
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