Zigong lanterns have a history of more than 800 years. The previous lantern festivals were spontaneous folk activities by the common people, and they became festivals in 1964. This year, Zigong held the first lantern festival since the founding of New China. Since then, folk custom activities with lights as the theme have developed into festivals for hundreds of years.
After that, Zigong successively held 7 Spring Festival Lantern Festivals. Thousands of people watched and praised the lanterns, and Zigong Lantern Festival became famous.
In 1987, the Zigong Municipal Party Committee and Government decided to innovate at the Lantern Festival and handed this task to Hu Desi. by chance. At that time, the provincial government considered Zigong's dinosaur and lantern festival as one of the eight natural scenic spots in the province, and the lantern festival was the main content of Zigong's opening up to expand its international influence. Therefore, the Zigong Spring Festival Lantern Festival in 1987 was officially renamed the Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Fair Economic and Trade Fair, using lights as the "media", allowing economic, trade and culture to sing on the same stage and "going out" to expand the "friend circle."
"This is a new path of reform and opening up with unique Zigong characteristics." Hu Desi said that the biggest feature of the first Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Fair Economic and Trade Fair is to closely integrate the lantern festival with trade and realize the transformation from an entertainment lantern festival to a cultural economic and trade lantern festival.
