About the ancient lanterns in China,

Lanterns in China are also called lanterns. Originated in the Western Han Dynasty more than 1800 years ago, red lanterns symbolizing reunion are hung around the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year to create a festive atmosphere. Later, lanterns became a symbol of happiness for the people of China. Through the inheritance and development of lantern artists in past dynasties, colorful varieties and exquisite craftsmanship have been formed. There are palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, chandeliers and so on. From the modeling point of view, there are figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, dragons and phoenixes, fish and insects, etc. Besides, there are lanterns for people to enjoy. Lanterns in China are made of bamboo, wood, rattan, straw, animal horn, metal, silk and other materials produced in various regions, combining painting art, paper cutting, paper binding, acupuncture and other technologies. Palace lanterns and gauze lanterns are the most famous lanterns in ancient China.

Lanterns are closely related to people's lives in China. There are lanterns everywhere in temples and living rooms. After careful calculation, China had lanterns after the Qin and Han Dynasties, and paper lanterns probably after the invention of paper in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Lanterns in China are not only used for lighting, but also a symbol. Wu Dunhou said that he used to make bridal lanterns (that is, palace lanterns) to represent wedding celebrations; Bamboo lanterns announce that this is a funeral occasion; Umbrella lamp (word surname lamp), because the pronunciation of "lamp" and "ding" is the same, indicating that people are prosperous. Therefore, in the past, every household had a surname lamp hanging under the eaves and in the living room. Today, there are still two big lanterns in front of God's head, which is a continuation of this custom.

However, Yuanxiao is probably the most reverie and expectation of Lantern Festival. The custom of watching lanterns on the Lantern Festival originated in the early Han Dynasty. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, in order to celebrate the country's prosperity and security, people hung lanterns and used flashing lights to symbolize "lucky dragons, rich people and strong country", and the custom of playing lanterns was widely spread. When Zhu Yuanzhang established Nanjing as his capital, he burned 10,000 water lanterns on the Qinhuai River. During the Yongle period, a lamppost was erected at the Wumen Gate and a "light market" was set outside the Huamen Gate, so that there was still a "dengshikou" street in Peiping. After the Republic of China, the practice of lanterns still existed, but it was much more prosaic. Fortunately, nowadays lanterns gradually occupy an important position in home decoration because of their popularity in China. However, some materials of lanterns have changed from paper and bamboo to cloth, plastic and iron wire, and their shapes and colors are very different from traditional ones.

Traditionally, temples are mainly yellow, and the size and color of lanterns are changed according to personal preferences, which has no symbolic significance.

Lanterns have other meanings besides lighting. Private school (ancient school) in the first month of each year.

At the beginning of school, parents will prepare a lantern for their children, which will be lit by the teacher, symbolizing the bright future of the students. It's called "turning on the light". Later, it evolved into the custom of carrying lanterns on the Lantern Festival. Because the pronunciation is similar to "Tianding", lanterns are also used to pray for children. In the Japanese occupation era, patriots painted folk stories on lanterns to teach their children and grandchildren to know their own culture, so it has the significance of being passed down from generation to generation.

According to its shape, lanterns are currently divided into Quanzhou style and Fuzhou style. Among them, Quanzhou style is the representative of China lanterns.

Quanzhou lantern

In general, weaving anti-state lamps is mainly made of tough and elastic Zhu Gui and hemp fences.

The production process is as follows:

(a) Put the bamboo in the steam room for half an hour, then take it out and put it in the shade to dry, but it shall not be excessively dried or exposed to strong light.

(2) Use a bamboo plane to shave off the rough epidermis of the cow's face.

(3) the length required for cutting bamboo strips; This depends on the size of the lantern.

(4) The lamp holder is crossed by weaving method.

(5) Tie several bamboo rings on the lamp wall in the middle of the lamp holder.

(6) Paste (install) lanterns with cotton yarn first, and then paste two layers of lantern glossy paper. If there is no glossy paper, fine cotton paper will do. ) to stick cotton gauze, first brush the diluted gauze evenly on the surface of the skeleton, then gently stick the cut gauze on the lamp holder, and then brush it flat with a brush dipped in paste. It should be noted here that the brush for brushing the paste must be a clean brush, otherwise the lamp surface will be messy. At the same time, the pasted paper must be pasted without seams in order to be truly pasted.

(7) Put the lanterns in a cool and ventilated place to dry.

(8) painting. Painted with personal patterns, such as figures, eight immortals, flowers and birds, ladies and so on.

(9) After painting, decide whether to write or not according to the situation. When the characters and patterns are completely dried, coat them with tung oil, and then let tung oil dry in the shade, and the lantern is finished.

Fuzhou Lantern-also known as Umbrella Lantern

Zhu Gui: This is the most widely planted bamboo in Taiwan Province Province. Hard and elastic, suitable for fishing rods, brooms and other appliances.

Bamboo strips: Bamboo is split into bamboo strips, which are called "bamboo strips". Punch holes at the upper and lower ends of the bamboo stick and thread them with iron wire.

Bamboo Head: Grooves are carved on the bamboo joints in Zhu Gui and fixed with thick iron wires to form the head and bottom of bamboo lanterns.

Exercise:

1. Install the bamboo pole with iron wire on the bamboo head base.

2. Install the bamboo pole on the groove, and finally tie the bamboo head with iron wire to form a bamboo frame.

3. Stand against the ground and slowly push the bamboo frame down until it becomes tubular.

4. Fold the bamboo stick by hand and adjust the shape, curvature and spacing of the lantern bamboo stick.

5. Tie cotton thread on the top of the lantern to fix the bamboo stick.

6. Spread the white yarn on the bamboo strips and fix it with paste.

7. Wait for the gauze to dry before applying agar.

8. After drying in the shade, the cylindrical umbrella lamp is shaped.

9. Then draw and draw. Generally speaking, the characters are scarlet, and the pictures are auspicious paintings, such as the Eight Immortals crossing the sea and Fu Lushou's Samsung.

10. Finally, put the base on the bamboo head and decorate it, and it is finished.

Types of lanterns

The word surname lamp: one side of the lamp is the surname, and the other side is the official name once owned by the ancestors. For example, the surname Xie is Prince Shaobao, and the surname Zheng is Yanping.

Auspicious lamp: One side of the lamp is the surname or the name of a god, and the other side is an auspicious pattern such as the Eight Immortals (Lv Dongbin, He Xiangu, etc. ) and Fu Lushou Samsung.

Ordinary type: like a Chinese character lamp and an auspicious lamp, one side is a surname, a god's name or auspicious words, and the other side is an auspicious pattern.

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