The golden glow of the Taichung afternoon sun shone brightly, in vivid contrast to the grey, seemingly perpetual overcast skies of Taipei. Our small media group had, for about half an hour, been aboard the 300 km/hr high-speed train from Taipei to Taichung, Taiwan’s second most populous city, located in the island’s central district.
The sun was a small comfort to Caribbean eyes though, as the chilly breeze nudged my hands into my jacket pockets soon after our small media group bus dropped us off at the Lihpao Resort, where the press conference of the 31st annual Taiwan Lantern Festival was set to take place.
There was a more suburban-like calm to it, as compared, that is, to the hustle and bustle of the capital. The Lihpao Sky Dream Ferris Wheel was a marvel to behold; a singular landmark and a standout fixture in the Taichung landscape, visible even from miles away. One of many reasons this tourism haven was chosen to host “the biggest Lantern Festival in Taiwan’s history”.
With the festival’s grand opening ceremony mere hours away, the spacious halls of the Liphao Resort began filling with the steadily increasing buzz of the world’s media. There was a ‘big match’ feel to it all, as we were handed translation devices and ushered into our reserved front row seats. Before us, about half a dozen suited up ministry and festival officials were being mic’ed up at the head table. Behind us were seated well over a hundred of the world’s reporters.
Chou Yung-hui, Director General of the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, got proceedings underway. Of course, together with the festival itself, tourism was a major theme throughout the conference. The annual Lantern Festival was a part of Taiwan’s goal to create a trillion dollar-scale output value by 2030. But the spectre of the coronavirus loomed large over the event.
As Chou Yung-hui said, Taiwan “is most beautiful when seen from above. You can see different ecologies across the island. The festival is all part of this grand ten-year plan and we’re confident we can contain the spread of the coronavirus. We believe we can overcome it.”
Taichung’s Deputy Mayor Lee hop Ron was also present. He stated: “We expect to reach 10 million visitors but this might be affected by the [coronavirus] outbreak. But this is an event where people can enjoy oriental culture through the advancement of technology. It’s a chance for Taiwan to show off its soft power.”
After the press conference we hopped back onto our bus, which took us to the spectacle the world had converged on Taichung to witness. There to meet us was our welcoming tour guide who, with a warm smile, introduced himself to each of us. He was one of the thousands of volunteers who kept everything running smoothly.
As I walked through the festival site to get a closer look at the still unlit lanterns, it quickly dawned on me that it was every bit of the 43 hectares we were told it was; an area larger than 100 football fields. It took two years to prepare for the hosting of the festival; every detail, every road, bridge, garden and lantern, was carefully crafted and put together.
The massive site was divided into three main zones, which represented Taiwan’s diversity and its native peoples. Each zone had different lanterns, but the festival’s design concept of “one flower blooms five leaves”, brought everything under one petal, so to speak.
Amid the trees, gardens and pathways were lanterns planted everywhere. More than 1,500 of them! It was like wandering off into a different world; “a forest fantasy” as the organisers described it. There were even mist makers strategically placed throughout the grounds to help enhance that ‘other worldly’ atmosphere.
Of the hundreds of lanterns on display, including the ‘Jazz and a Mice Wedding’ (a giant mouse with a blue bowler hat and a rainbow-coloured trumpet in his huge paw) and ‘The Sound of Flowers Blooming’ (a giant ball of changing lights which was spectacular to behold), the main attraction was the ‘Guardian of the Forest—Tree of Light’; clearly the centrepiece of the entire ‘fantasy’ forest. It had 22 bands along its trunk, illustrative of the 22 cities and counties of Taiwan.
But the lanterns weren’t the only spectacle. There were thousands of people: families, couples, visitors, all pointing in wonder and awe at myriad lanterns, enchanted by the display. Though many wore masks, obviously the coronavirus was not enough to keep them away.
Surreal also was the stringed music that reverberated through every corner of the colossal park. A live band, instrumental version of Jay Chou’s title track from Shigeru Umebayashi’s brilliant Curse of the Golden Flower film score was the first of many songs performed that day. Clearly, the organisers spared no effort making this an unparalleled event.
As Taichung’s sun began to cast its long shadows, the dazzled crowd was instructed to gather at the Tree of Light lantern; a cue for the commencement of the opening ceremony. Our group, on the other hand, was ushered into the VIP section, to view the slated performances.
Most of them were riveting. Particularly energetic were the Japanese Yosokai performer groups, replete with drum-music and martial arts-choreographed moves. All were rewarded with deafening applause. More sombre was the piece by the French Luminous White Horse Dance Theatre, a striking thematic contrast to the more upbeat ensembles. The British clown drum group Spark, also put on a well-received show.
After the final group exited the stage, it was finally time to light the main lantern. President Tsai Ing-wen herself, whose entrance was met with raucous applause, lead the countdown to the day’s finale. The crowd even joined her and roared when the main lantern was finally lighted. Though the lanterns stood out in the afternoon, they became a brilliant assortment of colourful lights at night, with ‘The Sound of Flowers Blooming’ perhaps the standout.
