Have you ever released sky lanterns? And did you know that we, Europeans, took this tradition from Asians? Being in Taiwan, we decided to see what it looks like “at the source”. We would like to introduce you to a small Taiwanese town, Shifen, which has turned from an industrial center into a place where wishes come true.
Asia is a continent of geographical contrasts. See the best attractions in Taiwan!
Shifen – sky lantern town in Taiwan – photos
Due to the fact that the tradition of releasing lanterns in Shifen has something magical about it, we will start our story in a slightly fairy-tale manner. Once upon a time (well, maybe not so long ago, in 1918), a railway line was built in the Pingxi Valley in Taiwan, which enabled the transport of coal from the local mines. This gave small surrounding towns the opportunity to develop. One of them was Shifen.
The ancestors of many Taiwanese people came from the Chinese province of Fuijan, where the tradition of releasing lanterns into the air had existed for years. Miners in Pingxi used them to tell their families from a distance that they were safe. In the early 1970s, coal mining in this area ended. The inhabitants of Shifen had to start coping in a different way – they decided to use the old tradition to attract tourists.
And they did it! Every day, hundreds of “dreamers” come to the town, which is certainly not the most beautiful in the world, wanting to send their wishes straight to heaven. At first, we assertively resisted the lantern temptation, but eventually we gave in. Although only after the guide assured us that paper lanterns are not as harmful to the environment as it might seem. But more on that later.
When it comes to organizing the lantern event, this time we weren’t creative. With just a few clicks, we booked a trip to Shifen on one of the well-known international travel portals. Although we try to organize trips on our own, when we are short on time, this option is really very comfortable and allows us to save a lot of time. Moreover, you are accompanied by a guide at all times, who is a treasure trove of interesting facts.
The tour bus dropped us off at the very gates of Shifen. It’s easy to see that you’re in the right place – next to the parking lot where the bus is parked, there is a clock tower with a colorful lantern on the top (see: second photo from the top). From here you should go to Shifen Old Street – this is where, on the old railway tracks, crowds of tourists gather, ready to make their dreams come true.
To release a lantern, you must first purchase it. Don’t worry, there is no shortage of sales points or products in Shifen. There is demand, there is supply. The lanterns are not expensive – their price is about 200-450 Taiwan dollars. Before making a transaction, you must make a serious decision, namely to choose between purchasing a single-colored or multi-colored lantern. The latter is a bit more expensive, but it “fulfills” more wishes from different categories.
And here we come to the heart of the matter. Well, the colors of the lanterns are not accidental. On red we write wishes related to health, peace and long life; in yellow with wealth, money and good earnings; in blue with career, promotion and good business; in purple with study, test and succeed in the examination; on white with a bright future, good luck and beautiful appearance; in orange with love, marriage and having children; on green with vigour, success and no illnesses; on magenta with attraction, popularity and good relationships; on pink with bliss, joy and happiness. I don’t know what you would choose, but we chose red. Of course, we could go crazy and choose a multi-colored lantern, but we didn’t want to dilute its effectiveness into several categories. So we chose intense red. Time will tell if we were right.
After purchasing, it’s time to prepare your paper work of art. The funny thing is that in Shifen you are accompanied at every step by someone from the staff – from sales, through writing out wishes, to releasing the lantern combined with a photo session. You have personal assistants at all times. One of them will take you to specially prepared (very makeshift) stands for decorating lanterns. These are simple metal frames to which paper lanterns are attached with paper clips. In the package, each participant receives a brush and black ink for calligraphy of their innermost dreams.
We finished writing our wishes quite quickly. And not only because we have clearly defined dreams or we are extremely specific. We simply use the Latin alphabet. The Asians around us use the Chinese script, which (according to their dictionary) has over 47,000 characters. Many of them are very similar, so we can guess that the location of each dot or line is of great importance here. Not to say anything, but we think it would be easier to learn and use Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Of course, we tried our hand at using the Chinese script. Although we gave up after two signs, we believe that thanks to this, the supernatural Taiwanese power that fulfills the dreams written on the lanterns will look at us with a more favorable eye. Seriously, let’s get back on track (nomen omen) and finish our report. When we were ready to send our paper lantern to the sky, another person from the attraction staff picked us up and handed us over to a professional 😉 photographer.
He will make every effort to ensure that the photo report of the lantern release is as detailed as possible. Take my word for it – you will be “photographed” from every possible angle. Seriously. I don’t think we’ve ever had so many photos from any tourist attraction. You must assume various positions, make the indicated faces, and show obligatory gestures. And of course, turn each of the four sides of the lantern towards the lens. You will feel like real models. And if you don’t like posing, you’ll probably get a little tired.
But thanks to this extensive photo session you will learn that: we wish ourselves “a long life, no diseases, no pain and good health”; we don’t only think about ourselves – we also want to say “All the best to everyone!”; we can write two Chinese characters; “Greetings from Taiwan” to those who read or watch us. Finally, the track session ends and it’s time to light the lantern. For safety reasons, our informal assistant does this.
When the fire ignites, the paper lantern will start to behave like a classic helium-filled balloon. You can keep the lantern on the ground for a moment, but as soon as you gently release it, it will slowly start to rise into the air and move away. We will surprise you, but it is quite a romantic, charming and touching experience. Eventually, your paper lantern will become just a small dot in a sky full of other lanterns. Environmentalists will probably not fully approve of us, but the magic of this inconspicuous attraction will stay with us for a long time.
Looking at our photos, it may seem that for an ordinary day in the middle of the week, little Shifen is very crowded. First of all – you don’t think so. Secondly – it’s nothing compared to what happens in this small town during the annual The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. It takes place “on the 15th day of the first lunar month.” Thousands of tourists (including famous artists and politicians) visit the Pingxi region and release their own lanterns into the sky. Apparently there were so many participants that the celebrations were “spread into installments”. They take place on two different days, usually on the two Saturdays closest to the “rightful” festival date. One of them takes place at the Shifen train station and the other in Pingxi.
Are the lanterns ecological?
There remains one more issue to be raised and resolved: are the lanterns released into the ether harmful to the environment? Well, they can be, but they don’t have to be. There are three types of them on sale in Shifen. Some of them burn completely in the air, so the negative impact on the environment remains negligible. Others are made of bamboo and the paper pulp – these actually fall back to the ground, but they decompose (relatively quickly). The first and second can successfully be included in the eco-friendly category.
But of course, there are also plastic lanterns on sale, which take a very long time to decompose. For the good of the planet, we strongly advise against purchasing them. However, as a consolation, we will repeat to you an interesting fact that the guide said us. Well, a significant part of the lanterns that fall to the ground are collected by residents of nearby towns and recycled. Such a circle of life. Of course, they don’t do it for charity – they can earn extra money by collecting and giving away used lanterns. To sum up: this tradition is not completely indifferent to the environment, but it should not be completely demonized.
Shifen – lanterns in Taiwan – prices
For one lantern purchased in a shop in Shifen, you will pay 200-450 Taiwan dollars. The price includes the product and the help of an assistant at every stage of releasing the paper lantern. This is a really fair fee.
Shifen, Taiwan – how to get?
The town of Shifen is located just 35 kilometers east of Taipei (the capital of Taiwan). We release lanterns at Shifen Old Street.
- Bus. At the Taipei MRT Muzha Station, take bus number 795. It takes 1.5 hours to reach Shifen Old Street.
- Train. From Taipei, get to Keelung – it will take you about 45 minutes. In Keelung, change to the train to Shifen – after 30 minutes you should be at your destination.
- Car. From Taipei to Shifen, it takes about 40 minutes by car (provided you travel outside of rush hours, otherwise be prepared for traffic jams). There is a car park near Shifen Old Street.
Shifen – interesting facts & tips
- Getting around Taiwan by public transport will be easier with the Easy Card. You top it up with any amount and collect it when entering and exiting the vehicle. Thanks to it, you don’t have to buy single-use tickets over and over again.
- While in the lantern town, you cannot miss the opportunity to see Shifen Waterfall – the most popular natural tourist attraction in the area. It is the most famous, most visited, widest and largest waterfall in Taiwan. The Jingan Bridge will lead you there – a 128-meter-long bridge where you can take fantastic photos.
- In Shifen, we not only let our wishes fly, but also ate one of the most delicious desserts in our travel history – a wrap with sweet filling. Inside there is delicious ice cream, ground nuts and a bit of fresh coriander.
Shifen – releasing lanterns – reviews
- Patrix – 10/10. This attraction amazed me. Although I do not believe in the magical power of wishes written on lanterns, releasing a lantern with a written wish while in the city of lanterns has something magical about it! I was very happy that the lanterns were eco-friendly. The town itself, although it looks rather dingy, is worth visiting. You must also eat the Peanut & Cilantro Ice Cream Roll, the dessert shown in the photo above.
- Wiolczix – 8/10. I’m not a romantic, but releasing lanterns in Taiwan was a unique experience. There is something charming about the whole process. Even if you don’t believe in the supernatural power of paper lanterns to make dreams come true, writing wishes and releasing your own “works of art” into the air is still magical. Doesn’t the environment suffer in the process? We were assured that not as much as you might think. We trust the local guide on this topic, and you decide for yourself in accordance with your own eco-conscience.
Shifen, Taiwan – FAQ
Is Shifen worth a visit?
Yes, Shifen Town in Taiwan is definitely worth visiting. The biggest tourist attraction here is releasing lanterns with wishes on the railway tracks. The tradition is so strong that the city hosts a themed festival (known as The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival) every year. Nearby you will also find the most famous and largest waterfall in Taiwan and an old bridge of truly impressive size.
Why is Shifen called Shifen?
The name Shifen comes from the first 10 families that settled in this region of Pingxi. It literally means “ten portions” because the original 10 families living here asked for 10 servings of supplies. The name of the nearby town of Jiufen has a similar origin, meaning “nine portions”.
How much do lanterns cost in Shifen?
The price of lanterns in Shifen depends on the number of colors and the material from which it is made. One-color ones cost NT$200, four-color ones – NT$250, and eight-color ones – NT$300. There are also more ecological lanterns available for sale, made of environmentally friendly materials – you will pay a little more for them, but you will be helping nature. They cost NT$450.
What time does the Shifen lantern open?
Lanterns in Shifen can be lit 24 hours a day, there are no hour limits, and the city gates do not close until nighttime. Remember, however, that local shops are open between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. So if you are going to Shifen without your own lantern, you need to keep this in mind.
How long do sky lanterns last?
Lanterns released into the sky can soar to a height of over 300 meters. Their upward flight usually takes between six and twenty minutes.
Shifen, Taiwan – map
Shifen (town of sky lanterns) is located in northern Taiwan, in the Pingxi District.