Victoria Park will glow under the moon from Thursday as Hong Kong's first International Lantern Spectacular lights up, offering a fiesta for residents and tourists alike.
Themed around "reunion", the Hong Kong Tourism Board presents a World Lantern Boulevard with more than 3,000 lanterns from 20 countries and regions.
Among the highlights are the Qinhuai lanterns, a national intangible heritage craft with centuries of history.
Created by master artisans from Nanjing, the centerpiece is an eight-meter banyan tree installation — Shadowlight — which blends heritage with modern lighting effects.
Comprising one large and three smaller banyan lanterns, the piece is a large-scale Qinhuai lantern work symbolizing the city's warm welcome to residents and tourists gathering for the festival. Notably, visitors can walk between the glowing trees, where light glimmers through the translucent gauze layer by layer.
Beyond the banyan, the Qinhuai collection also includes "Lotus Fish", an aquatic display, and two circular installations, "Dragon Gate" and "Moonlit Lotus".
The HKTB said the visual spectacle was created by a team of 33 artisans with more than 20 years of experience each, specifically for the local culture and the Victoria Park setting.
The team called "Shadowlight" one of the most complex large-scale projects in terms of its form and structure, noting that they studied the banyan's structure closely before building and assembling the trunk, roots, aerial roots and canopy in layers.
Highlighting that the banyan's shade carries collective memories for Hongkongers as a neighborhood gathering place, the team hoped the installation would serve as more than a display — bringing intangible heritage and the city's memories closer to the public.
Breaking with the tradition of viewing Qinhuai lanterns from a distance, the installation is also the team's first large-scale walk-in work. The team said the design responds to modern travelers' preference for interaction, encouraging visitors to post their first-hand experiences on social media and bringing heritage into everyday life.
To meet outdoor display and safety standards amid wind and rain, the team customized the structure, materials and assembly method, including using flange bolt assembly instead of traditional welding.
Large sections were split into prefabricated components and joined after arriving in Hong Kong to boost operational efficiency.
To cope with Hong Kong's wet summers, the team also used waterproof-coated gauze, increased drainage holes and adopted a sloped top, delivering both soft lighting and rain protection.
Dating back to the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, Qinhuai lanterns have a history of more than 1,700 years. Following four crafts — framing, pasting, painting and cutting — they are known for delicate shapes, fine workmanship and rich cultural meaning.
The team believes the traditional craft, placed at Victoria Park, can be conveyed through the city's international reach, raising its profile worldwide.
Completing the showcase with a local touch, around 400 traditional hand-made lanterns evoking a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival will also go on display at the Hong Kong Lantern Courtyard.
For those planning to visit, the lights will wash over the park nightly from 6.30pm to 11pm, staying on until midnight on the Mid-Autumn Festival (Sep 25).
