Palace lanterns that hang in Gaogang district, currently known as Taizhou Medical High-tech Zone – in Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province – are renowned for their elegance and courtly style and the skill of making them has a history stretching back nearly two centuries.
Gaogang Palace lanterns show their delicate workmanship, beautiful design and elegant colors in the dark. [Photo/WeChat ID: tztour]
Zhang Delong, a carpenter born in 1811, first brought out Gaogang palace lanterns. When he was young, he learned the skill of making palace lanterns in Jiangsu's Yangzhou city.
Many palace lanterns hang ready for sale in a workshop. [Photo/WeChat ID: tztour]
Craftsmen use high-quality wood as the frame of the palace lanterns and inset glass into them. They then paint different, colorful patterns onto the glass to make them distinctive. The production is complex and all processes are done by hand.
Gaogang Palace lanterns can beautify any city's streets, squares, hotels, temples, gardens, among others. They have long been used in famous gardens and scenic spots in the cities of Jiangsu province, as well as in the temples and parks of China's other provinces and even overseas.
A close-up view of a Gaogang Palace lantern. [Photo/WeChat ID: tztour]