2019 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

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Press Release of the Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government on Feb 19, 2019
2019 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
A must-visit in the Lantern Festival! An international festival, the "Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival" kicked off at Shifen.
The main lantern of Daisen, Akita in Japan came to Taiwan for communication and exchange.
【New Taipei City】 The second session of the "2019 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival" kicked off in a lively manner today (February 19) at Shifen Square to respond the zodiac year of the pig by creating a lovely main lantern, "Piggy the Perfect " that symbolizes "everything is successful, all business will be prosperous," which made the people onsite feel amazed! In the early morning, there were many visitors nationwide and worldwide coming to the site and waiting in line. Jennifer, the first to release a lantern, is from Zhongli, and it was her first-time releasing a sky lantern, and she hoped to pray for her family and friends with health and peace. Next is a romantic couple who met each other in Norway, 29-year-old Anthony from New York and 22-year-old Miss Chen from Shenzhen; they especially met each other to release a sky lantern in New Taipei City to wish to get married and get admitted to graduate school.
In addition, there were many Japanese tourists designating their tour to Taiwan in the Lantern Festival this year to participate in the "New Taipei City Sky Lantern Festival" activity. Matsusaka Technical High School in Mie Prefecture, Japan and New Taipei San-Chung Commercial and Industrial Vocational High School have linked to each other by the sky lanterns for the sister school partnership agreement; the City Government and the Tourism Department, Mie Prefecture of Japan were in collaboration to provide 300 sky lanterns to invite Japanese people to come to New Taipei City for the release of the sky lanterns; the Mayor of Daisen, Akita in Japan came personally across the sea and brought their large sky lantern for the "Sky Lantern Festival". Today, not only many Japanese and Korean tourists came over, but also cruise tourists from around the world jointly participated in the event to experience hundreds of sky lanterns flying together in the air.
The main lantern of the year of the golden pig, "Piggy the Perfect” well complements the atmosphere. Wish for everything to be successful, all business is prosperous.
The innovative main lantern created annually is the creative work of the "Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival". In order to respond this year, the JiHai Year of Pig, the shape of the traditional sky lantern was transformed into the lively and cute "Piggy the Perfect” main lantern by a vivid piggy with figurative lines. The Deputy Mayor of New Taipei City Wu Ming-ji indicated, "The main lantern symbolizes auspicious blessings, "Wish for everything to be successful, all business is prosperous", and gives congratulations to everyone for a new year with success and everything going well!"
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is internationally famous! Japanese travel groups were attracted to take a pilgrimage tour to Taiwan.
There were a total of 10 sessions of releasing sky lanterns with 150 sky lanterns per session for the internationally famous Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. The beautiful scene of hundreds of sky lanterns flying together in the sky made every participant on site tonight deeply impressed.
Among the distinguished guests invited to the activity including the official representatives and tourists from Japan's Mie Prefecture, Daisen City of Akita Prefecture, and Oimachi of Fukui Prefecture, some of them designated to participate in Taiwan's Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. The lively atmosphere was more excited than ever to see the growing communication and exchange between New Taipei City and all areas of Japan. As a result of Matsusaka Technical High School in Mie Prefecture, Japan and New Taipei San-Chung Commercial and Industrial Vocational High School making a sister school agreement tomorrow (the 20th), students of both schools were on site and together releasing the shaped sky lantern that celebrates the two schools becoming sister schools. The people on site jointly will witness the wonderful moment of Taiwan-Japanese friendship; it's hoped that people of the two places can have more cultural and tourism communication and interaction.
In addition to the sky lantern from Japan's Mie Prefecture, Daisen in Akita, which is famous for "Kamifusen (sky lantern)," also participated in the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival to exchange and communicate with Taiwan by designing the shaped sky lantern. The strong Japanese style and Pingxi Sky Lantern Culture were aptly integrated into one and showed cultural exchange and fusion with sustainability in the presentation of a beautiful visual feast.
Two sessions of the "New Taipei City Sky Lantern Festival" activity this year ended successfully with spots of beautiful sky lanterns flying in the night sky! In addition to the beautiful sky lanterns, the sky lantern festival also worked with the local people in the launch of not only the popular "399 Pingxi Experience Tour" but also the local guided activity, "2019 Celebrates the Lantern Festival with Pingxi's Sky Lantern, Touring Shuangxi GOGOGO". People are invited to not only release sky lanterns but also to experience the abundant tourism resources in the surroundings through a deep local visit. The New Taipei City Government will meet with you again next year!

For more related information about the "2019 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival”, please go to the website of New Taipei City Travel, or join the New Taipei Tour Facebook fan page, or go to the official activity website for inquiries.

Website of New Taipei City Travel: https://tour.ntpc.gov.tw/
New Taipei Tour Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ntctour
Official Website of the "2019 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival": http://tour.ntpc.gov.tw/2019skylantern