How to Make a Complicated Chinese Lantern
Chinese lanterns are beautiful and iconic images of the culture of China. These lanterns grace the night sky of markets, restaurants and old castles that are rich in tradition and history. You can create your own Chinese lanterns at home, using traditional materials. Your lantern will be unique because you made it by hand. But it will have all of the appeal of a traditional Chinese lantern because of the materials and methods used. These lanterns make great gifts for friends, or decoration accents for an outdoor party.
Things You'll Need
- Rice paper
- scissors
- Bamboo strips 1/2 inch wide
- Candle
- Paper paste or PVA glue
- Tassel
- String
Instructions
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Cut ten strips of bamboo for the frame of the lantern; eight of these strips should be 12-inches long. The last two should be 24-inches long. Heat each strip over a candle to make the strip more pliable, but be careful to not let the strip get too close to the candle. Bend two of the 12-inch strips into circles, and secure these with wood glue and string. Bend the 24-inch strips into large circles, as well.
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Place the remaining 12-inch strips inside the circles. Do this by putting a small circle on top, and securing the six strips to the inside edge of the circle with glue and string. Add the bottom small circle, and secure the strips to the inside edge of the circle as well. Place the top large loop 3/4 of the way up the lantern frame. Gently pull the strips toward the large circle. Glue and tie these in place. Do the same for the bottom circle. Place the large bottom circle 1/4 of the way up from the bottom of the frame. Let the glue dry for 30 minutes, and submerge the frame in a bucket of ice water to help the frame keep it's shape.
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Cut out six strips of rice paper that are oblong oval shapes 12 inches long, and 3 inches wide. Glue these to the frame using paste. Set the lantern aside until the paper is dry to the touch.
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Paint the Chinese symbol for "sky" on the middle section of one of the sides of the lantern. Do this by drawing two horizontal lines, one on top of the other. Add a curved upside down "V" shape that starts in the middle of the top horizontal line, and continues down and out. You can hang a tassel off the base of the lantern for added detail. Secure this with string, and glue to the bottom circle.
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Tips & Warnings
You can paint the Chinese character for "sky" onto the rice paper, before you paste it onto the frame.
Do not let the bamboo start to smolder as you heat it over a candle flame. You only need to warm the wood.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustrations by Andrew DeWitt
