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Time: Early February - Early March Venue: Zigong, Sichuan Province. Origin: As early as the Tang Dynasty, the people of Zigong were already putting on lantern displays during Spring Festival. The custom remains alive and kicking till this day. The municipal government of Zigong makes it a point to sponsor a traditional lantern show every year during the Spring Festival. What’s On: During the show, a “dragon†pieced together with porcelain dinner-sets, and a “peacock†fashioned out of glass drug bottles strung together, are displayed along with thousands of lanterns. The lanterns, which as a rule are marked by superb craftsmanship, are woven of thin bamboo strips and covered with colorful silk fabrics or paper; they are grouped into several hundred clusters to form a spectacular show of forms, colors, lights, movements and sounds. During the show commodities fairs and business talks are also held. |
| >>>Zigong is famous for its lantern show. The people here are expert at making all kind of figures - human, animals, scenic spots, scenes from historical books etc. with their lanterns. There is a park near the city center where they exhibit these lanterns. |
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| Tang dynasty scene |
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| Wu Song the tiger slayer. He appears in two famous classics - The outlaw of the Marshes and The Golden Lotus. He is a valiant fighter who kills a Tiger with his bare hands. Later he kills his sister in law (the golden lotus) and her lover as he discovers that they poisoned his brother. He runs away from justice and becomes an outlaw. |
