Our Blog - Gaillac Lantern Festival - January 2019

Gaillac is locally known for its wine, but for the last 2 years, it is now locally known for the Chinese Lantern Festival. The festival celebrates Chinese culture originating from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) in the town of Zigong in the Sichuan Province. There are over 100 different hand-made sculptures. They are built from silk, paper, glass and porcelain and individually lit up. You may wonder why Gaillac has a Chinese Lantern festival ... (we did!) ... it is because Zigong is a "sister city" to Gaillac and this is one way for the Chinese town to share its culture with the people of France.

We took the train there, which ended up being quite nice. A short walk to the entrance (follow the signs from the station to "Centre Ville" and from there, there are signs everywhere for the entrance) and after you get through the security lines, you roam through a park that is lit up with these lanterns. One of the first things that caught my eye was the peacock. Throughout are various smaller lanterns of trees and flowers.

Down the first corridor, lined with lanterns displaying dragon motifs and ladies dressed in bright red dresses.

The lantern boat, which is inspired by a wooden boat used by a famous Chinese explorer.

Next was what they called the Road of the Tang Dynasty, one of the most powerful empires in the world. These lanterns showed the typical life in that dynasty.

Then a couple of Chinese fans before reaching the palace of the Tang dynasty.

The Tang dynasty lasted from 618 to 907, and was a prosperous time for the empire. The emperor would organize festivals to show the splendor of the Chinese culture. Here we have some musicians and a dancer in front of the royal palace.

Sichuan masks that are used within the Opera.

And of course, pandas!

The ancient tea route twists through mountainous regions from Sichuan to Yunnan. Here we have elephants and horses that were used for the journey.

There were two large Chinese dragons, which are the emblem of China.

Lit in an actual pond within the park was a bunch of lotus flowers, which is a symbol of love. Nearby were a set of flamingos at the edge of the pond.

Definitely worth the short trip! It will be interesting to see if the lanterns change each year.