Yuyuan lanterns to light up Paris at the end of the year
Yuyuan Garden's Lantern Fair will illuminate Paris for the Chinese New Year.
The French Yuyuan Lantern Festival will take place in the Jardin d'Acclimatation from December 15 to February 25, spanning 72 days and encompassing key Eastern and Western festivals, Yuyuan Inc., the festival's organizer, said.
The promotional event for the French Lantern Fair was held at the China Cultural Center in Paris on Tuesday.
The promotion of the Yuyuan Lantern Fair in Paris on Tuesday.
The theme of the fair will be "Spirit of Mountains and Seas," which is based on the almost 2,000-year-old Chinese encyclopedia "Shan Hai Jing," or "The Classic of Mountains and Seas."
It will revolve around the Chinese zodiac sign of 2024, the Year of the Dragon, and the fabled animals depicted in "Shan Hai Jing."
The organizer claims that traditional Chinese lantern artistry will converge with contemporary new media lighting techniques, as well as a wide range of folk rituals and performances, to produce a joyful festival with an oriental aesthetic for the people of France.
A French visitor admires the Yuyuan Inc. souvenir.
China and France will celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. The Yuyuan Garden Lantern Fair in Shanghai will begin shortly after the lights are turned on in Paris' park.
They will create a dual-city event that commemorates the two countries' friendship and offers best wishes for the Paris Olympics in July 2024.
Yan Zhenquan, minister-counselor for culture at the Chinese Embassy in France, stated that the Shanghai Yuyuan Garden Lantern Fair's debut in Paris would highlight the essence of Eastern culture, Shanghai's cosmopolitan atmosphere as an international cultural metropolis, and the deep-rooted confidence in Chinese traditional culture.
"It's believed that the French Yuyuan Lantern Festival will tell the story of Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai, and China to people worldwide," Yan stated.
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An artist's rendition of the French Yuyuan Lantern Fair that is planned for the Chinese New Year in 2024.
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The Yuyuan lantern fair, held amid the city's well-known cultural and economic core, is one of China's oldest, most well-known, and most popular Spring Festival lantern fairs. It has even received official recognition as an intangible cultural treasure.
During its 52-day run in early 2023, the Year of the Rabbit Lantern Fair drew over 4 million visitors, including more than 80 consular officials and representatives of overseas businesspeople in Shanghai.
According to Hu Tingzhou, president of Yuyuan Inc., the lantern fair would create a cross-border "cultural bridge," communicating the warmest and most heartfelt blessings for China-France relations.
There will be three key elements of the festival: "Eastern Sentiments and Western Rhymes," "Spirit of Mountains and Seas," and "Fireworks Market."
While traditional aesthetic aspects will be featured in the lantern displays, there will also be plenty of new artistic concepts.
The "Shanghai LET'S MEET" lantern project, for example, will highlight the similarities between the two cities in terms of "romance and fashion."
Every evening throughout the event, lighting rituals rich in Chinese folklore and art performances such as intangible cultural heritage, instrumental music, martial arts, and dance will take place.
There will be a Wishing Tree, where they can select a bookmark corresponding to their zodiac sign, write their wishes and blessings, and hang them on the tree.
This allows people to experience the exquisite traditional Chinese customs and enjoy a genuine "Chinese New Year" in Paris, the organizer said.
At the end of the festival, a "White Deer" lantern installation will be left at the China Cultural Center in Paris beside the Seine River as a symbol of Sino-French friendship.
The 72-day French Yuyuan Garden Lantern Fair will also serve as a platform for exchanges between Chinese and international brands, as well as Eastern and Western cultures.
The expo will feature some of Shanghai's time-honored brands, such as Shede Wine, Laomiao Jewelry, Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, and the 239-year-old Tonghanchun TCM pharmacy.
