Lanterns illuminate Taoyuan for the 36th Taiwan Lantern Festival

AMID a cold, rainy evening, citizens of Taiwan and international visitors gathered to watch the city light up with colorful lanterns during the country's 36th Taiwan Lantern Festival on Feb. 12, 2025. The festival was slated to run until February 23.After nine years, the lantern festival returned to Taoyuan. This gave the city an opportunity to showcase its diverse cultures such as those of the Minnan and Hakka ethnic groups.With the theme "Taoyuan: Light gathering on a thousand ponds," the festival featured several lanterns, which were displayed at A18 Taoyuan HSR Station. These lanterns were created by students, featuring popular characters and the Chinese zodiac snake, a homage to the Lunar New Year.The main lantern, called "Infinite Paradise," was the highlight of the festival's opening. The infinity-shaped lantern was inspired by the water slides and roller coasters of amusement parks.Also known as the "Little New Year," the Taiwan Lantern Festival commemorated the end of work done after a year. At the same time, it also ushered in a new day for people to become productive again.Aside from reflecting Taoyuan's culture, this year's Lantern Festival also showcased Taiwan's baseball culture, as it coincided with the 36th year of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.Lanterns featured baseball-themed designs, allowing people to relieve the team's victory at thePremier12 tournament.The Lantern Festival also incorporated Taiwan's advocacy for technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, the three-dimensional geometric adornments of the Infinity Paradise lantern were representative of Taiwan's support for AI technology.To further show this, the main lantern reveal-flow segued to a lights-and-sounds show, utilizing technology to make the experience more vivid and exciting.The Taiwanese government planned to create National Smart Scenic Spots, combining technology with tourism and providing global visitors an unforgettable stay.