7,000 Plastic Bottles Create A Mega Lantern To Light Up One2free Lantern Wonderland In Victoria Park

Victoria Park glowed on 14 Sept in the flickering lights of a mega hemispherical lantern sculpture made from 7,000 recycled plastic bottles, with the official opening of “one2free Lantern Wonderland”. Visitors and local residents can enjoy the giant lantern installation and be inspired by the design concept – embodying environmental conservation, vitality and creativity – conceived by four young Hong Kong-based architectural designers.

Staged by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and title-sponsored by local mobile service provider one2free, “one2free Lantern Wonderland” was lit up in a ceremony officiated by Mr Gregory So, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of the HKTB, Miss Rosanna Law, Acting Commissioner for Tourism, Ms Cynthia Liu, Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Culture), Miss Alison Ko, Acting Chief Marketing Officer of one2free, and Mr Siu Kwok Kin Stanley, representing the lantern sculpture design team (winner of the Gold Award in the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition), among other sponsors of the event. The light-up ceremony also marked the opening of the “Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival” promotion (now until 22 September) organised by the HKTB.

The lantern sculpture, named “Rising Moon”, which is the centrepiece of the “Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival”, is approximately 10 metres in height and 20 metres in diameter, and is made from recyclable or reusable materials, including plastic bottles, steel frames, cable wires and energy-saving LED light bulbs. The designers set the installation on top of a large pond, so that the semi-spherical lantern joins its reflection under the special lighting effects, waxing and waning like the real moon.

To spread the message of environmental conservation, the plastic bottles used to create “Rising Moon” will be recycled by the Yan Oi Tong EcoPark Plastic Resources Recycling Centre after the exhibition. The HKTB has also arranged, with assistance from the centre and Friends of the Earth (HK), for volunteers to chat with “one2free Lantern Wonderland” visitors about plastic recycling.

With a view to giving visitors and local residents a complete Mid-Autumn experience, the HKTB has set up a “Wishing Corridor” and a “Mid-Autumn Market” in Victoria Park, and invited performers of the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, part of our national intangible cultural heritage, to parade in the park on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival (19 September). The HKTB also encourages foreign visitors to go into different districts to enjoy the festive activities organised by local communities.

The “Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival” is a key “Vibrant Hong Kong” event in the Hong Kong SAR Government’s “Hong Kong: Our Home” campaign.