Authorities mull lantern safety risks
- Source: Global Times
- [15:40 February 25 2010]
- Comments
By Tang Zhao and Chen Ying
Kids light Kongming lanterns with good wishes, in Liaocheng, Shandong Province. Photo: Xinhua
The famous Kongming lanterns, named after the well-known Chinese strategist in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), that are so popular during the Lantern Festival have some safety authorities worried.
“If a lantern reaches 1,000 meters, close to an air travel route, an aircraft may hit the lantern in midair. If the lantern gets into the aircraft’s engine, it may cause a shut down,” said an official with the Air Traffic Management Bureau of Shanghai.
Kongming lanterns are constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and a candle is put inside the lantern. When the candle is lit, the flame heats the air inside causing the lantern to rise.
On February 18, Zhengding South Gate in Zhengding County, Hebei Province was set ablaze by one of these lanterns, according to a report from Xinhua News. The lanterns are one of the main causes of fires during some traditional Chinese holidays.
Considering the safety risks, cities such as Qingdao, Sanya, Xi’an and Guangzhou have prohibited Kongming lantern activities.
“Advice from the Air Traffic Management Bureau to not use Kongming lanterns is reasonable, but currently there is no such ban in Shanghai,” an official with the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Fire Control told the Global Times Wednesday.
“I don’t think the ban is practical. No administrative measures could thoroughly ban people from doing such activities, as it is a tradition, and it is an act done by people who wish for a better future,” Huang Zhilin, an officer with Changning District Folklore Culture Center, told the Global Times.
The center is organizing an activity this Sunday where more than 100 people in Changning communities have been invited to light Kongming lanterns, according to Huang.
