STUST undertook the "Local Creation and Dissemination of Cultural Heritage - Fucheng VS Yuejin" USR project team by the Ministry of Education. Every year, the team designs cute little lanterns of the zodiac for the lantern show on the eve of the Lantern Festival. For those who love lantern shows, the team held a small lantern distribution event on Shennong Street a few days ago. Although everyone needed to make up work over the weekend, they still distributed a limited number of 200 Lucky Yuanbao Rabbit lanterns within two hours, which showed that people loved the lanterns very much.

【STUST cultural heritage USR team held a group photo of people carrying lanterns in the Shennong Street Small Lantern Night Parade.】

The theme of this year's Shennong Street Lighting Fair was “the prosperity of the six rabbits.” The STUST Shennong Street team designed the Lantern of Yuan Bao Rabbit in response to the sixth year of the lantern show. To attract wealth and fortune and to welcome the spring and enjoy good luck, the lanterns this year followed the spherical design of the year of the pig to the year of the tiger. After the entire assembly, it was wrapped into an egg ball, in which the rabbit held a big ingot in its hand, well matched with the LED lights that emit colorful lights. Auspicious and pleasing, it was super eye-catching at night, becoming visitors’ favorite for all ages. The visitors patiently filled out the Shennong Street Light Fair Feedback Questionnaire, voted for the most beautiful lantern on Shennong Street in the Year of the Rabbit, and wrote a wish card full of blessings for themselves before they could get the Yuanbao Rabbit Lantern—limited to 200 lanterns. After the distribution was completed within the time limit, as the lantern assembly was a little difficult, the student team from Shennong Street of STUST assisted and taught the children how to assemble it in the assembly area and their parents also followed suit.

【The Yuanbao Rabbit Lantern designed by STUST cultural heritage USR team】

People signed up at night to collect ingots and rabbits for a night tour of Shennong Street. After the launch of the Wutiao Harbor Cultural Center’s Facebook page, the quota was instantly sold out. On the day of the night tour, Shai-chin Zheng, Executive Director of Tainan City Cultural Association, led the public to shuttle on Shennong Street with a small rabbit lamp and watch the beautiful lanterns, accompanied by the stories of each household painted by students of STUST after discussions with the residents. They came to know the characteristic street house building on Shennong Street, Jinhua Mansion, which represents the people of the Hsu family, went to the Beishigang Site Lantern Group, and flew paper airplanes by the Photo Shooting Wall of the lamp area by talent classroom. Visitors could even stroll to the Fengshen Temple and Jieguan Pavilion to imagine the appearance of the ferry in Wujo Port back then. The night tour ended with a full load of cultural knowledge in Wujo Port.

【Visitors were filling out the blessing cards and voting for the most beautiful lanterns in the Shennong Street lantern distribution event.】

Cheng-wen Wu, President of STUST, said that the USR team of STUST has successfully managed the Shennong Street Lantern Festival. Lamps are loved by the people and deserve praise. The lantern show will not close until February 28. The public is welcome to enjoy the lanterns and experience the beautiful lantern show with a strong atmosphere of the 300-year-old street.

【Visitors were hanging up blessing cards in the small lantern distribution event on Shennong Street.】

【STUST Cultural Heritage USR team students were helping and teaching the public how to assemble small lanterns.】

【STUST cultural heritage USR team students were sharing the story of painting lanterns in each household.】

【STUST cultural heritage USR team was leading visitors to the Photo Shooting Wall Lamp Area by the talent classroom, where they could fly paper airplanes.】

【STUST cultural heritage USR team was taking a group photo of people carrying lanterns in the Shennong Street Small Lantern Night Parade.】