Stunning visual extravaganza electrifies skies over Xi'an

Use of new-age technologies brings new life, excitement to traditional festivals

Electrifying new-age technologies replaced the old fireworks to bring vivid, pulsating color to traditional festivals in the ancient capital of Xi'an earlier this month.

During the Lantern Festival celebrated on March 2, a drone fleet appeared in the night sky above the Xi'an High-Tech Zone.

Controlled by artificial intelligence-created algorithms, the fleet of 500 drones gave a spectacular, swirling show that featured intricate aerial patterns accompanied by dramatic Chinese music.

The show comprised five chapters - entitled Prelude, I Love Xi'an, Capital of Science, Joyful Chinese New Year and Epilogue.

Opening with the Prelude, the drone fleet formed a series of concentric circles and then expanded into a tunnel.

Inside it, a dazzling light show - featuring images of Xi'an's landmarks including the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and the Bell Tower - recalled the past glories of the ancient capital of many Chinese dynasties.

As the music altered, the drones formed the words "I Love Xi'an". They then transformed into the key words "international" and "innovation". Adding to the visual feast were pulsating images of robots and rockets - all celebrating the city's cuttingedge technologies.

Amid the heart-stopping Chinese New Year aerial celebrations, the fleet formed more patterns such as lanterns, the character of fu, which means luck, and the year 2018 to highlight the traditional elements of the Spring Festival holidays.

The Lantern Festival is the culmination of the halfmonth-long Chinese New Year celebrations.

Xi'an is a venerable ancient capital. But it's also a dynamic city for a great number of young people who work for the many tech firms, research institutions and universities that represent the modern competitiveness of Xi'an.

Many younger residents travel outside Xi'an for the Spring Festival, giving the city a noticeably thinnedout appearance during the period, according to local officials.

This year, tourism authorities reached out to local tech firms and other businesses to help create a stunning new atmosphere, employing both modern and traditional elements during the Spring Festival, to make the city even more appealing to locals and tourists as well.

Traditional elements included local opera performances, ceremonies to welcome various gods, temple fairs and lantern shows.

Varieties of local food were also sold on the streets, tempting visitors with the succulent, authentic taste of Xi'an.

The ample use of lanterns and other lighting sources to decorate the streets and roads has long been a tradition in China during the Spring Festival period.

This time, the streets in Xi'an were also beautifully decorated with modern, invogue lighting devices.

At Xi'an Inno Start-Up Wonderland, an area for tech startups in the Xi'an High-Tech Zone, light shows illuminated creative themes.

A device that attracted the most attention was a huge 3.2-meter-tall "heart" that organizers said could sense the heartbeats of up to a dozen people. When people's hearts beat at the same rate, the big heart displayed the same color.

"The lighting shows and the drone performance presented us with a visual feast that combined both modern and traditional elements," said a visitor from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

A Xi'an resident said traditional fireworks - used to welcome good luck and ward off evil - had proved less popular in Xi'an in recent years as they were regarded as being a source of pollution.

He said the latest, exciting technologies had taken their place to create a modern and inclusive atmosphere for the traditional festival, which was welcomed by younger people.

Xi'an's very special way of celebrating the Chinese New Year has also been made known to the world through various media, according to local tourism officials.

They said they hoped that as a result people from all over the world were now aware that Xi'an is not only a renowned ancient capital, but also a dynamic cuttingedge hub for innovation in China.

zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 03/21/2018 page14)