(New Year walks to the grassroots) "The First Village of Chinese Palace Lanterns" Hebei Tuntou: Red lights illuminate the Chinese New Year

　　Chinanews, Shijiazhuang, January 18th, title: "The First Village of Chinese Palace Lanterns" Hebei Tuntou: Red lights illuminate the Chinese New Year

　　Author Li Yusu Ju Ning

　　Hanging red lanterns is a traditional custom of Chinese New Year. Red symbolizes joy, while round lanterns symbolize happy reunion.

As the Spring Festival approaches, we walked into the "No. 1 Palace Lantern Village in China" - Tuntou Village, Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. Red gauze lanterns lined both sides of the road, and every household was rushing to make lantern orders.

　　Gaocheng palace lanterns originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty and evolved from gauze lamps used by the ancients.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor went down to the south of the Yangtze River and passed through Gaocheng. He saw the red lanterns hanging in front of the common people's doors. They were gorgeous in appearance and exquisite in craftsmanship, so they brought them back to the palace to hang them, hence the name "palace lanterns".

　　As a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Hebei, Gaocheng Palace Lantern is most famous for its red gauze lantern. Its material is made of bamboo, which is made into an oval shape through multiple processes such as splitting, scraping, drilling, and threading. It is made of red silk cloth. palace lantern.

The picture shows workers rushing to make palace lanterns.

Photo by Zhai Yujia

　　"Tuntou Village has entered the peak season of producing and selling lanterns every year since November. At present, the annual output of various palace lanterns in Tuntou Village has reached 100 million pairs, accounting for 90% of the domestic market share." According to Bai Liwei, Secretary of the Party Branch of Tuntou Village According to the introduction, in recent years, Gaocheng District has vigorously developed the characteristic industry of palace lanterns, and gradually formed a production and sales area centered on Tuntou Village and radiating to surrounding towns and towns. Its products are collectively called "Gaocheng Palace Lanterns".

　　Bai Liwei said with a smile, "Gaocheng palace lanterns are also very popular overseas. This year, the export orders are mainly from Vietnam, and Vietnamese people also celebrate the Spring Festival. The most popular ones are our traditional round red gauze lanterns."

　　With the development of the times, Gaocheng palace lanterns have been continuously improved in quality and variety.

According to Bai Huiping, president of the Gaocheng Palace Lantern Association, Gaocheng palace lanterns have developed from a single variety in the past to more than 200 varieties in 18 series, including turning lights, sheepskin lights, and paper carving lights. It develops into various shapes such as pumpkin shape and spherical shape.

　　"This lantern supports customized patterns and text. Family members in need can check out our No. 1 link..." Walking into the home of Su Yunguang, a major palace lantern maker in Tuntou Village, the anchor is introducing lantern products through an e-commerce platform.

The picture shows workers making oversized lanterns.

Photo by Zhai Yujia

　　With the development of Internet e-commerce, the sales channels of Gaocheng palace lanterns have gradually developed from offline to online.

Su Yunguang said that in recent years, more than half of the palace lanterns in the family have been sold through e-commerce platforms. E-commerce has broadened the sales channels of palace lanterns and made this skill more familiar to more people.

　　At present, there are more than 400 e-commerce platforms in Tuntou Village, covering multiple e-commerce platforms and sales websites, with more than 2,000 employees. The annual output value of pure e-commerce channels exceeds 500 million yuan, accounting for about 40% of the total sales.

　　Red lanterns are hung high to welcome the New Year.

A series of red lanterns, from Tuntou Village to all corners of the country, also let China's "New Year's taste" illuminate at home and abroad.

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