RSSNewsletterSiteMapFeedback

Home · Weather · Forum · Learning Chinese · Jobs · Shopping
Search This Site
China | International | Business | Government | Environment | Olympics/Sports | Travel/Living in China | Culture/Entertainment | Books & Magazines | Health
Home / Government / Local Governments News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Kongming Lamp banned for Lantern Festival
Adjust font size:

The sale and display of traditional flying lanterns have been banned in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu province, over safety concerns, local officials said on Wednesday.

The lamp is also known as the Kongming Lamp: its inventor, Zhuge Liang (181-234), who is also known as Zhuge Kongming, was a notable statesman and strategist in the Three Kingdoms period. The lamp is traditionally made of paper and carried aloft by hot air from a candle inside.

"The temperature could be as high as 300 degrees Celsius," said an official with the Nanjing government. If used improperly "it would pose a threat to aircraft, power supply lines and telecommunications equipment and could set fire to forests and houses."

The lamp, which retails for 10 to 15 yuan (1.4 to 2.1 U.S. dollars), could fly "a thousand meters high", the official noted.

One lamp ignited a tree branch in downtown Nanjing last Wednesday but didn't cause large fire due to timely firefighting, according to the local Nanjing Daily.

First used as a signal in battles, the flying lantern became popular among folk in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) as symbol of wishes displayed during festivals.

The Chinese Lantern Festival, or 'Yuanxiao Festival', takes place on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the first night of the new year where there is a full moon.

On that evening, people hang up red lanterns believed to bring good luck, solve word puzzles, perform lion and dragon dances and eat yuanxiao -- a round dumpling made of glutinous rice and sweet filling. The festival will fall on Thursday this year.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2008)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read

Comment
Username   Password   Anonymous
 
China Archives
Related >>
- Lantern Festival is coming
- Thousands of lanterns light Xianghu Lake
Most Viewed >>
-Foreign cartoons banned from prime time
-Vaccination drive boosted to 15 diseases
-Snowstorm won't affect food prices 'heavily'
-Severe punishment for bribery
-Gov't intensifies crackdown on horror videos
Questions and Answers More
Q: What kind of law is there in place to protect pandas?
A: In order to put the protection of giant pandas and other wildlife under the law, the Chinese government put the protection of rare animals and plants into the Constitution.
Useful Info
- Who's Who in China's Leadership
- State Structure
- China's Political System
- China's Legislative System
- China's Judicial System
- Mapping out 11th Five-Year Guidelines
Links
- Chinese Embassies
- International Department, Central Committee of CPC
- State Organs Work Committee of CPC
- United Front Work Department, Central Committee of CPC
SiteMap | About Us | RSS | Newsletter | Feedback

Copyright © China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000 京ICP证 040089号