Last night I headed to southwest London to visit the annual Magical Lantern Festival to mark the end of Chinese New Year. Held in the historic gardens of Chiswick House, the outdoor event features over 50 colourful illuminations.
The theme this year is The Silk Road, celebrating the art, heritage and culture found along this famous trade route from Europe to the Far East. Following the trail through the grounds, visitors travel along the road with huge light installations depicting scenes from Central Asia, Arabia, Egypt, Persia, India and Ancient China, with life-size statues (including Aladdin, Jasmine and a huge genie) and handmade lanterns displaying oriental symbols, Asian food, traditional Chinese opera, the Tang Dynasty architecture, camels, pandas and the new zodiac animal, the rooster.
The Magical Lantern Festival is at Chiswick House and Gardens until 26 February 2017
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