The 34th annual Taiwan Lantern Festival kicks off on February 5 in Taipei with the theme “Light Up the Future.” The festival will continue from February 5 to February 19 throughout Taipei.
In 2001, the festival began touring cities and counties throughout Taiwan, and this year it has returned to the capital of Taipei. The main exhibits will be in the East District, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, and Xinyi District near the Taipei 101 building. People will also be able to enjoy lantern displays throughout all 12 districts of Taipei.
This year’s centerpiece lantern is a 22 meter tall Jade Rabbit that is designed like a robot. He wears an astronaut suit and turns to the beat of the music. The rabbit’s designer Lee Ming-tao (李明道) says he modeled the Jade Rabbit’s expressions after Olympic gold medalist Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳).
Kuo is one of Taiwan’s most famous athletes. In 2021, she won an Olympic gold medal and broke three Olympic gold records in the women’s 59 kg weightlifting competition in Tokyo.