The project team of "Creation and Dissemination of Cultural Elements—Fucheng v.s. Yuejin" USR project team, formed by teachers and students of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, organized the 2019 Year of the Pig Shennong Street Lantern Festival Lantern Exhibition, successfully creating an overwhelming crowd. After the Lantern Festival, President Dang-Maw Lu and Chairman Dao-Chong Zheng of the Board of Directors of Tainan City Cultural Association jointly extinguished the lights, successfully bringing the show to an end.
【Visitors before “Go! Uncle’s Buffalo’s Gaming Area” at Shennong Street.】
Looking back at the lantern show over the past months, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology has unprecedentedly adopted the nation's only self-study course system, attracting 68 students to participate in the production of lanterns. The students designed 150 lanterns for the residents to decorate every corner of Shennong Street. Supported by the strong enthusiasm of the street residents, they make the number of participating households increase from 27 to 38 after the opening. The atmosphere of the lantern show moved the residents and stores to hang their own lanterns; a total of 45 households began to hang their own lanterns to welcome to the New Year, showing that all the people at Shennong Street were opening their arms to the New Year.
【Parents and children were working together "Go! Uncle Buffalo Gaming Area" at Shennong Street】
At the corner of the street, the headline lantern displayed in the Year of the Pig Shennong Street Lantern Exhibition attracted the grocery shopping groups in the market of the Narcissus Palace to cross the street for an exploration. Messages rushed onto IG and Facebook, showing the rich taste of the year, the quaintness, the artistic conception through time and space, and the thought that the old street, like Kyoto in Japan, was great for a visit. Therefore, the crowds of Shennong Street Lantern Festival in the Year of the Pig emerged. The number of tourists was conservatively estimated to have exceeded at least 60,000. It was recommended by the media, netizens and the municipal government to be among the top ten New Year resorts in Tainan, as one of the five major lantern shows in Tainan. Moreover, it was considered a private attraction for those who like to take and post their photos on the Internet. For the first time, the street was listed on of the best lantern festivals in Taiwan.
【Honorable guests In the closing ceremony of the 2019 Year of the Pig Shennong Street Lantern Exhibition (from left to right in the first row): STUST Chief Secretary Ching-An Wang, CEO Tsai-Ling Zheng of the Board of Directors of Tainan City Cultural Association, Yong-Chuan Wang and his wife, President Deng-Maw Lu, Chairman Dao-Chong Zheng of the Board of Directors of Tainan City Cultural Association, and Director Chuang-Hsiong Chiuof of STUST General Education Center, and all the teachers and students in the team.】
During the Lantern Festival, in addition to the students' customized lanterns, the planning team held a five-in-one campaign for the tourists to know Shennong Street and the traditional Lantern Festival, which was also very popular. For example, the "Go! Uncle Buffalo Gaming Area” at Shennong Street was particularly hot on Saturdays and Sundays. Some people made appointments on weekdays, especially for the Shennong Lantern Puzzle. Thanks to the enthusiastic responses from tourists, most of the stores’ postcards was rapidly updated during the Spring Festival. Even when the official Facebook issued the message about the closing message, fans still asked whether the postcards would be issued again this year and next year with the design for Shennong Street. In the Year of the Pig, the small lanterns were in short supply. After the two-hour delivery on the 17th of February, they were all finished. The warm scenes of family gathering together confirmed the tourists' love for the Year of the Pig. The lanterns show created the tide of tourists and made Shennong Street overcrowded during the New Year period. The city government particularly sent people to take a special trip video-recording the crowds of lanterns to count the number of people who have entered Tainan during the New Year. Stores and shops at Shennong Street were also published on Facebook, with words to say sorry to the friends in the excessive crowds.
【“The Year of the Pig Shennong Street Lantern Exhibition" lighted up the intersection of Shennong Street.】
President Deng-Maw Lu said that although the Year of the Pig Lantern Exhibition held by Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology for Shennong Street has ended, the lanterns representing the characteristics of each household should still be hung high on Shennong Street, all for the love and enthusiasm of the residents at Shennong Street. People who haven’t had time to experience the antique lantern atmosphere of Old Street can still travel to Shennong Street to enjoy the journey through time and space after the lantern show. He was grateful to the public for their affirmation of the efforts that Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology has made. STUST has practiced the social responsibility of the university in Shennong Street and has promoted the culture of the local community. Let us look forward to seeing it again in the Year of the Rat.
【The Lantern Festival Cultural Center in front of the Old Five Channels Cultural Center was crowded with people collecting lanterns.】
【President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Chairman Dao-Chong Zheng of the Board of Directors of Tainan City Cultural Association jointly turn off the lantern light in the closing ceremony.】
【President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology was delivering a speech.】
【The team designed the Year-of-the-Pig lanterns for the Lantern Festival, which were very eye-catching and in short supply.】
【The documentary film "Looking back at the 142 Days of the Lantern Show” was being played on the street.】