rss feedChinese lanterns appear to be coming back – really, they’ve been around for centuries
Chinese red lanterns - and their soft, alluring glow - are likely to reemerge in creative productions given the emphasis these days on rich colors in online media.
Recent videos on Vimeo have followed the red lantern color path, including ones by the talented crew at UPPERCASE and Ian Lucero.
Recently, when I passed the Legendary Palace restaurant and its lanterns in Oakland, Calif., I stopped – but not purely to produce something for the Internet.
For years, I’ve been interested in them, especially in learning about the Lantern Festival in my language classes and visiting Chinese cities and towns.
One aspect that I like about China is that residents have embraced these glowing orbs for thousands of years. They are soothing to the eye – especially the contrast at night.
As Andrea Spolidoro writes in an essay posted on the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Web site:
Throughout the history of China, lanterns have been symbols of hope, rejuvenation, and celebration. Lanterns are integral to the most mundane or important rituals of life; in support of communication with the god; for ceremonial purposes; as symbols; and in festivals.
On the one hand, Legendary Palace has what I enjoy in a restaurant: Dim sum, late-night hours (even on a Sunday), history, upturned eaves, lanterns and enough lights to attract customers.
On the other hand, this restaurant has a controversial past in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Social service groups once advocated that the former nightclub be used for low-income residents. The structure apparently was built in 1917.
My uncle, Bill Wong, outlined this episode during a 2006 walking tour for The Organic City. He is an author, journalist and expert on Oakland Chinatown.
Moviegoers will remember the glowing orbs in Zhang Yimou’s classic Raise the Red Lantern, which brought Gong Li into a household with several wives.
The artistic images of softly-lit red lanterns certainly stayed in the minds of Western audiences.
In 2007, the Guardian sent staff photographer Dan Chung and reporter Tania Branigan to Pingyao, a walled city in Shanxi province, to capture lantern images and stories.
They posted an incredibly-rich video about daily life in inland China.
Also, in Beijing, one restaurant district lets potential customers know that it’s open for business by hanging lanterns outside their establishments.
I know traveling in China can be trying at times – given the language gap and how some people might perceive all international tourists as wealthy.
But after seeing this video, it’s easy to see why the place can be so intriguing.
On a side note: Last month, some people mistook the Chinese red lanterns that were used in a wedding in England for UFOs, the Lynn News reported.
Great job on the lanterns/Legendary Palace post. Didn’t know that there was so much to learn about lanterns. Next time Dad and I are in Oakland Chinatown we’ll have to give Legendary Palace a try.
Years ago when I was growing up in Oakland Chinatown I use to stand at the corner of 7th and Franklin in front of Legendary Palace, waiting for my mom to come back from shopping at Swan’s Market for food for our restaurant. I wouldn’t cross the street to the other side of Franklin for some time because I had heard rumors at my school, Lincoln Elementary School, that (some) kids were waiting to beat me up if I went into West Oakland where Swan’s was located. Later, I did cross the street because I had to buy beansprouts from the bean sprout merchant whose shop was across the street from Legendary Palace. Good memories!