Lanterns (deng in Chinese) are a special handicraft of Chinese tradition. Fancy lanterns are widely used as decorations in the country during festivals and holidays, on weddings and other celebrations.

On the whole, they consist of a frame made of metal wire or bamboo strips covered with painted paper or a thin gauze. There is also a kind of a portable redwood frame that can be taken apart and folded up when not in use, which makes a great souvenir.

Many traditional lanterns are generally very fancy, like palace lanterns, lanterns with revolving figures, gauze lanterns, wall lanterns and glass silk lanterns. The lanterns on the Tian'anmen Tower, for example, are unusually large, red gauze lanterns. In olden times lanterns were commonly called qi si feng ("enraging the wind") because they were coated with fish glue, which made them windproof while letting the candlelight through. Today, of course, electric lights have long replaced candles.

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