Hong Kong Tourism: Giant lantern made from 7,000 plastic bottles

Let’s go green this Mid-Autumn Festival!

Let’s go green this Mid-Autumn Festival! For the upcoming “Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival” promotion (September 14-22), the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is giving new life to 7,000 recycled plastic bottles by using them to construct a three-story high lantern designed by four young, energetic architectural designers. This giant lantern will be installed in Victoria Park’s Soccer Pitch number 6 as the showpiece of “one2free Lantern Wonderland,” title sponsored by mobile service provider one2free. Combining the concepts of environmental conservation, vitality and creativity, the lantern is expected to inspire visitors and local residents alike during this much-loved Chinese festival.

HKTB Executive Director Mr. Anthony Lau said: “Local traditions and living culture are among Hong Kong’s most appealing attractions, and we have been actively promoting them to visitors from around the world. The Mid-Autumn Festival is definitely one of the most popular traditional festivals among visitors. This year, we have included ‘green’ elements in our promotion, with a giant ‘plastic bottle’ lantern that evokes environmental awareness. We will bundle this iconic lantern with a string of traditional Mid-Autumn activities, and encourage visitors to go into different districts to experience the citywide festive atmosphere.”

He continued: “We would like to thank the event’s title sponsor one2free, Friends of the Earth (HK), the Yan Oi Tong EcoPark Plastic Resources Recycling Centre, and various other commercial sponsors for supporting and joining us in creating an environmentally friendly and creative ‘Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival.’”

Miss Alison Ko, Acting Chief Marketing Officer, one2free, said: “As a local community brand in Hong Kong, one2free is proud to be the title sponsor of the iconic Mid-Autumn Festival event – ‘one2free Lantern Wonderland.’ It’s a time for families and friends and loved ones to come together and share joy and fun in this traditional Chinese festival. The feeling also matches our purpose of celebrating local Hong Kong traditions and enabling fun communications for the people of Hong Kong.”

The “Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival” is one of the highlights of the Government’s “Hong Kong: Our Home” campaign, under the theme “Vibrant Hong Kong.” The lantern installation, named “Rising Moon,” was designed by four young architectural designers: Mr. Siu Kwok Kin Stanley, Mr. Chan Pui Hong Aden, Mr. Hui Chun Hoi Eddie and Mr. He Yiteng, whose design won the Gold Award in the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition. Taking inspiration from everyday life, the designers wanted to recreate the moon – the symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival – in Victoria Park with recycled plastic bottles, and encourage the public to think about how they can play a part in conserving our environment.

“Rising Moon” is a hemispheric installation measuring 10 meters in height and 20 meters in diameter. In addition to about 7,000 recycled plastic bottles, other recyclable and reusable materials, including steel frames, cable wires and energy-saving LED light bulbs, are used to construct the lantern. The lantern will sit on a pool of water, where lighting effects will allow it to join its reflection to produce the different lunar phases. After the exhibition, the plastic bottles will be collected by the Yan Oi Tong EcoPark Plastic Resources Recycling Centre for recycling.

In raising awareness of the importance of environmental conservation, the HKTB has also partnered with Friends of the Earth (HK) and Yan Oi Tong to arrange for volunteers to spread the message about plastic recycling during the “one2free Lantern Wonderland” exhibition.

Near the “one2free Lantern Wonderland” in Victoria Park, the HKTB is going to set up a “Wishing Corridor” and a “Mid-Autumn Market,” where local merchants will sell handicrafts and festive food items. On 19 September, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, which is inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, will wind its way to Victoria Park to celebrate the festival with visitors and locals. The HKTB will also promote activities in major districts so that visitors to Hong Kong can immerse themselves fully in the local mid-autumn cultural experience.

Theme

Rising Moon

Designers

Mr. Siu Kwok Kin Stanley, Mr. Chan Pui Hong Aden, Mr. Hui Chun Hoi Eddie, and Mr. He Yiteng

Design Concept

– The moon has always been the main focus of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The concept of this design is to bring the distant moon to earth, Victoria Park specifically, and to celebrate the tradition of reunion with family and friends under the full moon.

– From ancient times to the present, the lantern form has been evolving, from the traditional paper lantern to the characteristic cartoon lantern, marking the change of times.

– Drawing inspiration from daily life, the designers decided to re-interpret the lantern form using recycled plastic bottles, thus promoting the message of environmental protection.

– The designers hope to inspire visitors and local residents to think about how we can make the world a better place to live in while appreciating the giant lantern.

Specifications

– “Rising Moon” is three stories high, measuring approximately 10 meters in height and 20 meters in diameter.

– The entire lantern is made from recyclable and reusable materials, including approximately 7,000 recycled plastic bottles (4,848 5-gallon bottles and 2,300 1.5-liter bottles), steel frames, cable wires and energy-saving LED lights. The plastic bottles will be recycled after the display.

– The semi-spherical structure consists of triangular steel components, each crossed with cable wires to form a cable net. LED lights tied to plastic bottles are secured to the cable net in each triangular steel frame, forming the surface of the lantern.

– The giant lantern sits in a pool, and with lighting effects, it joins its reflection, imitating the moon phases, forming a “full moon” at one point.

– Visitors and local residents can walk inside the structure from its sides to appreciate the design of the interior, which is filled with suspended lanterns made from recycled plastic bottles. Spectators can view the full moon through the lantern’s dormer. The lantern interior can accommodate a maximum of 100 persons at a time.

Designer Biographies

“Rising Moon” was designed by four young architectural designers, Mr. Siu Kwok Kin Stanley, Mr. Chan Pui Hong Aden, Mr. Hui Chun Hoi Eddie and Mr. He Yiteng. The design received the Gold Award at the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition organized by the HKTB, and co-organized by Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, Hong Kong Designers Association and Hong Kong Institute of Architects. The four architectural designers currently work at Gravity Partnership.

Mr. Siu Kwok Kin Stanley

Stanley grew up and studied in New Zealand where he received his Bachelor of Architecture from UNITEC School of Architecture. He returned to Hong Kong after graduation and has worked as an architect on a number of residential, commercial, master planning, cultural and sustainability projects in Hong Kong and the Mainland. He is now a senior architect at Gravity Partnership, responsible for project design, from inception to the detailed design stage, and project administration, from building approval application to local authorities and preliminary design stage to project completion. His passion for architecture has extended from professional to institutional involvement. As a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, he has participated on several committees and helped organize a number of major events. Stanley’s professional activities and interests are split equally between architecture and contemporary art. He participated as part of a team in the 2011–2012 Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, showing the work “Sugar Treasure.” In May 2013, he collaborated with a local artist to showcase the exhibition “Crafting Sky.

Mr. Chan Pui Hong Aden

Aden completed his BA in Architecture (RIBA part-I) from the University of Liverpool’s School of Architecture and went on to pursue his ProDip in Architecture (RIBA part-II) at the School of Architecture and Visual Arts at the University of East London. He has worked on numerous projects in the UK, the Mainland and Hong Kong with renowned architects, including those from Novas Architects in the UK and Gravity Partnership in Hong Kong. He pursues his ambition in architecture by participating in various competitions to articulate his ideology relating to our built environment.

Mr. Hui Chun Hoi Eddie

Eddie began his design studies at the CIVA Institute of Visual Arts. After receiving the Diploma in Interior and Environmental Design with an outstanding design award, he continued his development in architecture graduating with a BSc in Architectural Studies with First Class Honors from City University of Hong Kong. He began his career while studying, working as an architectural designer for local design firms. He is currently an architect in Gravity Partnership, where he is involving in a wide range of projects in Hong Kong and the Mainland. Along with his architectural practice, he has participated in numerous design competitions with distinctive results, and has recently been shortlisted as a finalist in the Design Competition for Tai O Twin Bridges.

Mr. He Yiteng

Yiteng graduated from the Department of Architecture at Southeast University in Nanjing, China. He is currently practicing architecture in Gravity Partnership in Hong Kong. Since 2008, he has participated in and won numerous competitions in the Mainland and Hong Kong, including the GCL Solar Industry Park Planning Competition in 2008 (3rd prize), the 2nd O&SB International student competition in 2010 (finalist), and the Design Competition for Tai O Twin Bridges in 2012 (finalist).

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...