Innovation leads to brighter future for Taiwan lantern

The pastime of flying lanterns goes back centuries in China, where they are symbols of peace and good fortune, but that tradition is now under attack.

Traditional sky lanterns are made of paper and bamboo frames. After rising 300 to 500 meters, the flame suspended at the bottom goes out and the lantern falls.

This makes them "flying garbage" and a "safety threat", say critics who want them abolished.

Taiwan entrepreneur Shao Ai-Ting, 26, however, argues the lanterns can be made so they burn up in the air and no remains fall to the ground.

"The sky lantern is an important cultural attraction of Taiwan," said the woman entrepreneur. "If we just stand by and do nothing, they could really be banned. It would be a great pity, wouldn't it?"

Blessing or blemish

Also known as Kongming lanterns, they are believed to have been invented by renowned military strategist Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) as a means to pass military information in war.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), migrants from East China's Fujian province brought them to Taiwan. Some settled in Pingxi, a hillside town in the north of the island. Threatened by bandits, they often fled to the mountains. Those left in the town would use lanterns to signal safety and call their families back. They were also called "safety lanterns" or "blessing lanterns".

Sky lanterns are arguably a symbol of Taiwan. The Taiwan Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo was built in the shape of a huge sky lantern and during holidays, the number of visitors to Pingxi would rise to 100,000.

Pingxi's annual Lantern Festival in the Lunar New Year has been a spectacle with thousands of lanterns rising in the darkness.

The next day, however, is another scene: fallen lanterns scattered on roofs, treetops, in streams and everywhere. They have become garbage.

Most local dealers make lanterns with waterproof paper and adhesive tape or iron wire, but these materials cannot easily degrade in nature. It has been reported the iron frames have hurt or trapped wild animals. In some cases, lanterns caused fires or traffic accidents.

"Don't let the lantern with your dreams become a nightmare for locals," says a petition calling for a ban by Pingxi villagers.

"I really don't encourage releasing sky lanterns. I have seen a falling lantern kill an owl," said Youtube user "Afengxueping".

In the 2014 Lantern Festival, environmentalists criticized the mayors of three Taiwan cities for releasing sky lanterns together. Local authorities were required to re-evaluate the risks and tighten the controls.

"Rather than the lantern itself, it is the garbage the lantern produces that should be banned," said Shao.