Big Star Wants to Know Huang Bo wants to know: Netizens tell me what styles of lanterns are available across the country and what are their origins?

Lantern

Chinese lanterns are also collectively called lanterns. It originated in the Western Han Dynasty more than 1,800 years ago. Every year around the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, people hang up red lanterns symbolizing reunion to create a festive atmosphere. Later, lanterns became a symbol of happiness for the Chinese people. Through the inheritance and development of lantern artists of past generations, rich and colorful varieties and superb craftsmanship have been formed. Types include: palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, chandeliers, etc. In terms of shapes, there are figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, dragons and phoenixes, fish and insects, etc. In addition, there are revolving lanterns specially designed for people to enjoy. Chinese lanterns combine painting art, paper-cutting, paper binding, thorn stitching and other techniques, and are made of bamboo, wood, rattan, wheat straw, animal horn, metal, damask and silk produced in various regions. Among the lanterns made in ancient China, palace lanterns and gauze lanterns are the most famous.

Lanterns are closely connected with Chinese people’s life. There are lanterns everywhere in temples and living rooms. Careful calculation shows that China has lamps after the Qin and Han dynasties, and paper lanterns may have appeared after the invention of paper in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Chinese lanterns are not only used for lighting, they are often also a symbol. Wu Dunhou said that he used to make bridal lanterns (i.e. palace lanterns) to represent a happy wedding; bamboo strip lanterns signaled that it was a funeral. Occasion; Umbrella Lamp (surnamed Deng), because the pronunciation of "Leng" and "Ding" are the same, it means that the population is prosperous. Therefore, in the past, every house had surname lamps hanging under the eaves and in the living room. At today's god-welcoming competition, there are still two large lanterns in front of the gods' array, which is a continuation of this custom.

However, the lanterns that make people dream about and look forward to the most are probably the Lantern Festival lanterns. The custom of watching lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated in the early years of the Han Dynasty. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, in order to celebrate the peace and prosperity of the country and the people, lanterns were tied up. With the flickering lights, they symbolized "the colorful dragons are auspicious, and the people and the country are strong." The lantern custom has become widespread. Popularity. When Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty established Nanjing as his capital, he even set off thousands of water lanterns on the Qinhuai River; in the Yongle Dynasty, he erected a large lamppost at the Meridian Gate and set up a "Lamp Market" outside the Hua Gate, so that there was still a "Dengshikou" street in Peiping. . After the Republic of China, although the practice of lanterns still existed, it became much duller. Fortunately, due to the Chinese fever, lanterns gradually played an important role in home decoration. However, some of the materials for lanterns now include original paper, bamboo, It has become cloth, plastic, and iron wire, and the shape and color of the lanterns are also very different from the traditional ones.

Traditionally, temples are mainly yellow, and the size and color of lanterns can all be changed according to personal preference, regardless of certain symbolic meaning.

In addition to lighting, lanterns have other meanings. Every year on the first lunar month, private schools (ancient schools)

Quanzhou-style lanterns

Generally, the main materials for woven Fanzhou-style lanterns are tough and elastic osmanthus bamboo and hemp fence.

The production process is:

(1) Place the bamboo in the steam chamber to be heated for half an hour, then take it out and place it in a cool place to dry, but it must not be overly dried or left in the Exposure to strong light.

(2) Use a bamboo planer to remove the rough skin of the beef noodles.

(3) Cut the bamboo strips to the required length; this depends on the size of the lantern.

(4) The weaving method is to complete the lamp stand in a cross pattern.

(5) In the middle of the lamp stand, you can also tie several bamboo circles on the lamp wall.

(6) To paste (mount) the lantern, first paste the cotton gauze, and then paste the second layer of single-gloss paper used to make the lantern. (If you don’t have single-gloss paper, you can also use fine tissue paper.) For pasting cotton gauze, you must first apply the diluted paste evenly on the surface of the frame, then lightly attach the cut gauze to the lamp stand, and then use a brush to dip it into the frame. Brush the paste flat. It should be noted here that the brush used to smooth the paste must be a clean brush. Otherwise, the lamp surface will be a mess. At the same time, the paper must be pasted so that there are no seams before the paper is truly completed.

(7) Place the lantern in a cool and ventilated place to dry.

(8) Painting. The paintings are painted with the patterns required by the individual, such as figures, Eight Immortals, flowers and birds, ladies, etc.

(9) After painting, decide whether to write text according to the situation. After the words and patterns are completely dry, apply a layer of tung oil, and then wait for the tung oil to dry in the shade, and the lantern is complete.

Fuzhou-style lanterns - also known as umbrella lanterns

Guizhu: It is the most commonly grown bamboo in Taiwan. The texture is hard and elastic, suitable for fishing rods, brooms and other utensils.

Bamboo strips: Split the osmanthus bamboo into bamboo strips, which are called "bamboo strips". Drill holes in the upper and lower ends of the bamboo strips and thread them with wire.

Bamboo head: Carve grooves on the bamboo joints of Osmanthus bamboo and fix them with thick iron wires to become the head and bottom of the bamboo lantern.

Method:

1. Install the bamboo strips threaded with iron wire on the bamboo pedestal.

2. A bamboo strip is installed on a groove, and finally the bamboo ends are tied with iron wire to form a bamboo frame.

3. Support the ground and slowly push the bamboo frame downward until it becomes a cylinder shape.

4. Press and fold the bamboo strips with your hands to adjust the shape, curvature and distance between the bamboo strips of the lantern.

5. Tie cotton thread to the upper end of the lantern to fix the bamboo strips.

6. Spread white gauze on the bamboo strips and fix it with glue.

7. Wait for the gauze to dry, and then apply agar glue.

8. After drying in the shade, the tubular umbrella lamp will be formed.

9. Then trace and color. Generally speaking, the words are in vermilion, and the pictures are auspicious paintings such as the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, the Three Stars of Fortune, Luxu, and Longevity.

10. Finally, install the base on the bamboo head, decorate it, and it's done.

Types of lanterns

Lamp with surname: One side of the lantern is the surname, and the other side is the official name that the ancestor once held. For example, the surname "Xie" is the prince Shaobao, the surname "Zheng" is the prince Shao of Yanping, etc.

Auspicious lanterns: One side of the lantern is the surname or the name of the god, and the other side is the auspicious patterns such as the Eight Immortals (Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, etc.), the Three Stars of Fortune, Luxu and Longevity.

General type: Like font lanterns and auspicious lanterns, one side is the surname, the name of the god or auspicious words, and the other side is the auspicious pattern.

Official lantern: The characters and pictures painted on the lamp are the same as those of ordinary lamps, except that the base is black and the characters are gold. This kind of lantern can only be hung if it is given by the emperor

Based on its shape, lanterns are currently divided into two types: Quanzhou style and Fuzhou style. Among them, Quanzhou style is the representative of Chinese lanterns.