SINGAPORE, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- A twenty-meter-tall lantern of Cai-shen-ye, or God of Fortune in Chinese culture, rose over Singapore's waterfront this Chinese New Year, smiling and holding a cabbage -- a Chinese pun for wealth -- offering the familiar blessing of prosperity. Crowds gathered, cameras clicked, and the lantern, monumental in scale, dominated the horizon.
Building that smile is precise work. The lantern must withstand wind and rain, resist the tropical sun, and preserve the delicate artistry of traditional Chinese lantern craft. What appears effortless from afar is, in truth, a carefully balanced structure.
Few visitors realize that this work is a collaboration between Singaporean designers and lantern artisans from Zigong, a southwestern Chinese city celebrated as the "City of Lanterns," where the craft dates back to the Tang dynasty. The partnership has lasted more than twenty years, and each Chinese New Year, its results return to Singapore's waterfront.
This February, at Gardens by the Bay, visitors shared photos of the God of Fortune online, alongside fifteen other lantern installations, performances, fireworks, and food stalls at "River Hongbao," the country's annual Chinese New Year celebration.
In Singapore, where over 70 percent of residents are ethnically Chinese, River Hongbao has run for 40 years. Large lantern displays have become central to the celebration, with the God of Fortune its unmistakable star.
"If there's no God of Fortune, it feels like something's missing. Without it, it isn't River Hongbao," said Perng Peck Seng, program chairman of River Hongbao 2026.
Perng has been involved since 1986. In the early 2000s, he recalls, Singapore lighting companies heard of Zigong's reputation and traveled there to explore collaboration. After several exchanges, Perng visited himself.
"It really opened my eyes," he said. "Their works go everywhere -- not only in China and Singapore, but also to Chinese communities in the Americas."
From 2003 onward, Singapore teams began working with Zigong artisans to build the God of Fortune lanterns, a partnership that continues to this day.
For the teams, safety comes first.
The first God of Fortune, in 1993, stood 9.1 meters tall. Over the years, it grew to 20 meters. At that scale, the lantern is designed almost like a building. Andrew Yap, director of lantern design of River Hongbao 2026, said such installations must withstand strong winds or even earthquakes. Inside, a vertical spine runs down to a weighted base.
"Like an umbrella," he said. "With a weight underneath, it won't topple."
Once the structure is set, stylistic variation is limited. "But every year it still needs something new," Yap said. The changes appear in subtle gestures: one year, the figure held a koi, another a large gold ingot. In one design, it raised both hands in a V-sign and lifted a leg, as if caught mid-dance.
Months before the holiday, Singapore's team begins designing the lanterns. After the drawings are complete, the main frame and cabling are built locally, while plans are sent to Zigong for fabrication of the lantern's exterior. Specialized components are sometimes produced there in advance.
This year, the God of Fortune's face -- more than 3 meters tall -- was made in Zigong starting in early November. Craftsmen spent about a month shaping it in fiberglass before shipping it to Singapore. The material gives the cheeks their glossy flush and keeps the surface from deforming in strong winds.
On Jan. 19, Zigong lantern master Song Taosheng arrived with nearly 20 team members. They continued work on other displays while assembling the God of Fortune's hat and body. Welders formed the outline with steel rods, electricians installed the lights, fabric specialists covered the exterior, and painters added the final colors.
Song has worked in lantern-making for nearly 20 years. The procedures rarely worry him. The weather does.
Singapore's rain is frequent and unpredictable, and Gardens by the Bay lacks indoor space tall enough for such construction. Much of the work takes place in an open parking area. When rain falls, tarpaulins are stretched over the frames, and workers continue underneath, slowing progress.
He remembers the Year of the Dragon installation in 2024, when a 140-meter illuminated dragon was built behind the God of Fortune, twining along the trees. It was first constructed in sections on the ground, then assembled -- a demanding process made harder by continuous rain. Each morning, Song joked with colleagues, "Send Heaven a message and tell it to rain tomorrow instead."
Sun and sudden rain pose another challenge. Lantern fabrics must be fireproof, waterproof, and sun-resistant, and surfaces are coated with UV protection. "Sun, then rain, then sun again," Song said. "Sometimes the color changes in just a day or two."
This year, rain fell for hours on the first day of the Chinese New Year, but visitors still came. Organizers reported about 1.03 million visits in 2025 and expect more this year.
After years of collaboration, Yap said the Zigong team has grown increasingly familiar with Singapore. One lantern group depicts dancers from the country's four major ethnic groups. In earlier years, unfamiliarity sometimes led to small mismatches in facial features or costume colors when working from flat drawings; now, Yap believes they capture such details well.
Another installation this year recreates Singapore's Thian Hock Keng Temple, built two centuries ago by southern Chinese immigrants. While designing it, Yap and his team carefully traced the temple's details and came to appreciate the refinement of the original craftsmen.
From the historic temple to the lanterns made in Zigong, Yap said he sees a resonance: Chinese craftsmanship continuing across time -- and across the sea. ■
