Lights of Duanwu · Culture in Presence

Lights of Duanwu · Culture in Presence

— A Recap of the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival Lantern Project

I. Duanwu Festival: A Cultural Memory Illuminated by Time

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month marks the Dragon Boat Festival, known in Chinese as Duanwu Jie.
With over two millennia of history, it is one of the most ancient and culturally rich traditional festivals in China.

Its origin lies in ancient summer rituals to ward off disease and evil spirits. Over time, it became closely associated with
Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet and minister from the State of Chu during the Warring States period. In 278 BCE, facing
national downfall, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River. Moved by his loyalty and sorrow, local people paddled boats to recover
his body and threw rice dumplings into the river to keep fish away—giving rise to customs like dragon boat racing,
eating zongzi, hanging mugwort, and wearing scented sachets.

Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is more than a historical commemoration. It is a living tradition, a spiritual continuation, and a
shared emotional bond across generations and regions of the Chinese-speaking world.

II. How Can Tradition Take Root? Let the Festival Be Seen and Felt

In today’s fast-paced urban life, how can traditional festivals move beyond textbooks and museum displays to truly enter people’s everyday experience?

In 2025, we sought a simple but powerful answer: through light.

Light creates emotional landscapes in physical space.

Lanterns, beyond their decorative role, have become a new language of cultural expression—translating traditional imagery into visual
experiences that are participatory, shareable, and emotionally engaging.

III. Practice in Action: Highlights from the 2025 Duanwu Lantern Installation

During the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival, our team delivered a series of Duanwu-themed lantern projects across multiple cities. Moving beyond
generic decoration, we approached each installation with an integrated perspective combining culture, visual design, and spatial storytelling.

1. Qu Yuan Tribute Sculpture

A 4.5-meter lantern sculpture of Qu Yuan was installed in a municipal square, accompanied by LED water projections and floating excerpts from
The Songs of Chu, creating an immersive poetic landmark.

2. Dragon Boat Array with Waterside Projections

A series of 3D dragon boat lanterns were arranged along a riverside path. At night, they were paired with dynamic water-mist projections and rhythmic
soundtracks, recreating the atmosphere of traditional boat races.

3. Zongzi & Sachet Interactive Zone

Adorable zongzi lanterns and a wishing wall of fragrant sachets invited families and children to engage in traditional cultural games, such as AR rice
wrapping and riddle-solving, combining heritage with fun.

4. Mugwort Gateway Arch

At key entrances, we installed archways styled after mugwort bundles and five-color talismans, blending traditional auspicious motifs with modern lighting design.

IV. Reach and Impact

• Covered 4 core urban areas, with over 70 lantern installations
• Attracted more than 520,000 visitors during the festival period
• Peak daily footfall exceeded 110,000 in key locations
• Generated over 150,000 social media impressions and 30,000+ user-generated posts
• Recognized as an “Outstanding Seasonal Cultural Activation Project” by local cultural and tourism departments

These numbers reflect not only the success of the installations, but also the renewed public enthusiasm for traditional culture in a modern urban context.

V. Tradition Is Not Static — It Can Be Retold Through Light

A festival is not just a date on the calendar.

A lantern is not just a source of illumination.

We believe that when a traditional festival shines in public space, it reawakens cultural understanding in people’s hearts.

In 2025, we used light to translate the poetic soul of the Dragon Boat Festival into the nightscape of modern cities. We saw thousands of people stop,
take photos, tell stories, and engage with the festival in ways that were both personal and communal.

What once existed only in ancient verses is now visible, tangible, and alive.