A book entitled "Research on Zigong Sky Lantern Folk Customs" was published by Cultural Relics Press on Nov. 28. Dai Yanling, Zhong Xuehui, Deng Jun and Huang Dechun coauthored the book.
The research, which traces the origin of the sky lantern festival and the lantern festival in Zigong from the perspective of folklore, is the first of its kind both at home and abroad and won the first prize in scientific research in the field of cultural relics and museums in Sichuan province in 2021.
The Zigong Lantern Festival was listed on the State-level Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008, but opinions vary on its history. From June 2020 to Oct. 2021, researchers from the China Lantern Museum and the Zigong Salt Industry Historical Museum conducted an archaeological investigation of existing relics of steles and stone poles related to the sky lantern in Zigong.
They researched stele inscriptions and historical annals. Finally, the team concluded that the sky lantern festival and the traditional lantern festival in Zigong, two kinds of lantern folk customs, developed in parallel and influenced each other. Afterward, the former became part of the latter with the development of feudal society. The research also proves that the history of lantern cultural activities in Zigong can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). All the processes and historical evidence have been recorded in the book.
To publicize the history of the lantern festival in Zigong and help preserve related cultural relics, themed exhibitions and cultural products related to the research are being planned.
