The Historical Origin of Zigong Colored Lanterns

Zigong colored lanterns, also known as "Zigong Lantern Show", are a highly representative part of China’s colored lantern culture. Their history dates back over a thousand years, and after generations of inheritance and evolution, they have finally formed a lantern art system with unique regional characteristics.

The origin of Zigong colored lanterns can be traced back to the folk lantern festivals of the Tang and Song dynasties. At that time, the Sichuan region was economically prosperous and culturally thriving, and the custom of appreciating lanterns during the Lantern Festival was widely popular among the people. As a well-known salt-producing area, Zigong had already become an important town in southern Sichuan due to the rise of the salt industry as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty. By the Tang and Song dynasties, the vigorous development of the salt industry provided a solid material foundation for the rooting of lantern customs. During traditional festivals such as the Lantern Festival, local salt merchants and ordinary people in Zigong would make simple flower lanterns to celebrate the festivals. These lanterns were mostly framed with bamboo strips and covered with colored paper, with shapes mainly featuring simple geometric forms, animals, and plants. Though simple in craftsmanship, they laid the initial foundation for Zigong’s colored lantern culture.

The Ming and Qing dynasties marked an important development stage for Zigong colored lanterns. During this period, Zigong’s salt industry entered its heyday. The wealthy salt merchant group, eager to demonstrate their strength and strengthen community ties, began to invest heavily in manpower and resources in lantern festivals, driving the upgrading of lantern-making craftsmanship. On one hand, the materials used for lanterns were no longer limited to bamboo and paper; high-grade materials such as silk, satin, and colored glaze were widely adopted, greatly enhancing the texture and luster of the lanterns. On the other hand, the shapes of lanterns became increasingly complex and diverse. In addition to traditional flowers, birds, fish, and insects, there emerged lantern groups themed on opera stories and myths and legends. The scale of lantern displays also expanded from individual flower lanterns to connected lantern arrays, transforming lantern appreciation from a simple folk activity into a grand event with both ornamental and cultural value.

Notably, unique lantern customs such as "lantern-carrying parades" and "river lantern releasing" took shape in Zigong during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Especially around the Lantern Festival, people would take to the streets holding various colored lanterns in processions, while salt merchants’ mansions would set up large lantern sheds displaying exquisite lantern groups for public viewing. For a time, the streets and alleys were brightly lit, creating the unique spectacle of "a city half lit by lanterns, half fueled by salt". This also extended the influence of Zigong colored lanterns from local areas to southern Sichuan and even the entire Sichuan region.

It was in modern times that Zigong colored lanterns truly developed into a large-scale, branded art system. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, despite social unrest, the core lantern-making techniques (such as framing, pasting, and painting) were passed down among folk craftsmen, who preserved these essential skills. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zigong colored lanterns experienced a rebirth. The local government began to systematically explore and sort out lantern culture, organizing craftsmen to improve and innovate traditional techniques by integrating modern lighting technology with traditional lantern-making skills. Since Zigong held its first large-scale lantern show in 1964, Zigong colored lanterns have gradually expanded beyond Sichuan, gaining recognition across China and even worldwide. They have become a cultural calling card carrying China’s folk culture and intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship, and their thousand-year historical heritage shines even more brightly in the new era.