How Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns are traditionally made and an artisan defending the craft
Hong Kong lantern artisan Wan Wong explains why she keeps the traditional craft alive, barriers she faced as a woman and the key techniques
While mass-produced Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns of every size, shape and style can be bought with a single click these days, a dedicated few in Hong Kong are defying the fast consumerism trend by keeping the objects’ traditional craftsmanship alive.
Among them is Hong Kong fashion designer and lantern artisan Wan Wong, 52, who spends hours every year crafting traditional bamboo, wire and cellophane lanterns by hand.
Lanterns remain a cherished centrepiece of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Southeast and East Asian celebration falling on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar (between September 7 and October 8). While modern celebrations focus less on agricultural harvests and more on family unity, traditional customs like moon gazing, lantern appreciation and sharing mooncakes remain favourites.
For Wong, taking the extra time to craft her own lanterns adds a sense of festivity that evokes fond childhood memories.