Tourism agency unveils 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival centerpiece

Taipei, Jan. 3 (CNA) Taiwan's Tourism Administration on Friday unveiled the design of the main Lunar Year of the Snake lantern for the upcoming 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan.

The centerpiece of this year's lantern festival is named "Paradise," the agency announced at a press conference.

Designed by renowned artist and designer Akibo Li (李明道), Paradise takes an unconventional approach to depicting the zodiac for the Lunar Year of the Snake, which begins on Jan. 29.

At Friday's press event, Li presented a sculpture in the shape of the universal symbol for infinity (∞) to denote infinite paradise.

The inspiration for the design came from traditional theme park attractions like roller coasters and water slides, Li said, and it is intended to manifest "the joyfulness the Taiwan Lantern Festival is known for."

The artist noted that some international media have dubbed the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival "Disneyland without roller coasters." He expressed hope that travelers from around the world will visit Taiwan to experience the joyful event.

Including its base, the centerpiece lantern is 18 meters tall and rotates 360 degrees when presented at the light shows scheduled for every half hour during the festival, which will be held from Feb. 12-23 at the plaza in front of the Taoyuan high-speed rail station.

Li revealed that for the Paradise light show, he employed the latest artificial intelligence and motion capture technology to present a collection of elements like baseball and local arts that define Taiwan.

The light show will also feature auspicious blessings written in the native languages of exchange students in Taiwan and artistic efforts by Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政), Transport Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉).

Addressing the launch event on Friday, Chen said he vividly remembers attending the first Taiwan Lantern Festival when he was 12 years old.

Other than being the 36th edition of the festival, 2025 is also the first time in nine years the annual event has been held in Taoyuan.

Chen estimated that around 10 million domestic and international visitors would attend the festival. Participants can enjoy Taoyuan in the morning and experience the lantern festival in the evening, he recommended.

Friday also saw the announcement of the handheld lantern that traditionally accompanies the main installation.

The design of the souvenir-based lanterns is being undertaken by veteran lantern artist Lin Chia-wei (林佳葦) who has designed the handheld lanterns for the last five Taiwan Lantern Festivals.

Lin said she intended to create a versatile toy snake this year, which is why the 2025 lantern is made up of seven individual parts that can bend 90 degrees at the joints and create a rich variety of shapes.

In addition, half of the mini-lanterns this year are designed with a built-in power source that can be charged with a USB Type-C cable to reduce the use of batteries, Lin said.