The Covid-19 that has swept across the country in the Spring Festival of 2020 has brought the whistling of the new era and the loud gongs and drums of the Year of the Rat to an abrupt end.

In the face of the sudden Covid-19,In the face of the sudden pandemic, we were caught off guard and could not be prevented. Such a severe damage caused the bone-cutting pain to the entire Zigong lantern industry, which is rare. At this time, the pain continued and diverged.

The art director of a large-scale lantern enterprise who has just returned from a survey in ten cities in China estimates that in 2021, the Zigong lantern industry will shrink by 2/3 in the domestic market. The vice chairman of the board of directors of a certain group bluntly stated that in 2021, the international market of the Zigong lantern industry will drop by 80%. And now, most companies' outreach workers' wages during the Spring Festival this year are far from being recovered. The bosses of some miniature lantern companies are heavily in debt as a result. More lantern companies are laying off employees, rotating jobs, waiting for jobs, and paying basic living expenses. Some have laid off half of their employees, and some have laid off two-thirds of their employees; there are companies with dozens of employees, but now only a few people are left behind;Some simply went out of business to save rent and other expenses.

In response to the severe situation faced by the Zigong lantern industry, and focusing more on the future development of the city’s high-quality cultural tourism industry, in the past few months, the main leaders of the municipal party committee and municipal government have repeatedly emphasized stressed to accelerate the implementation of the "Lantern +" "+ lantern "strategy in recent months, so as to ensure the sustainable development of Zigong lantern cultural industry.

Then, how to deepen and refine the "Lantern +" "+ lantern " strategy, or in other words, under the Covid-19, where is the entry point and breakthrough of the Zigong lantern industry?

Outdated ideas, conventional strategies, and trivial planning have been difficult to solve the new situation and new problems faced by the lantern industry.Realizing the steering of more than 1,000 companies and 100,000 lantern people in a short period of time is like making an aircraft carrier suddenly turn around in Fuxi River.Moreover, after the lantern fair market has shrunk significantly, how much market is needed to satisfy the "big stomach" of such a large-scale lantern industry team?

So, is there such a huge lantern market? Can the products made by Zigong lantern technology meet the needs of this market? On this issue, I will talk about a few superficial understandings so as to the readers.

1、Construct an intuitive image of China Lantern City and open up a brand-new lantern market

Zigong is known as the "Southern Lantern City". In the past few years, Zigong has raised it to the height of China Lantern City for construction.As a Lantern City,in addition to the International Dinosaur Lantern Festival held during the Spring Festival and the short-term lighting of the urban scene, there is usually no visual display of the lantern city from the entire urban area.Some people even say that in normal times, the landscape lighting in Zigong City is not as good as in some counties.Therefore, constructing an intuitive image of the China Lantern City will promote the Zigong Lantern Festival as an image extension of the national intangible cultural heritage,which is an image display of the cultural characteristics of Zigong City,a need to strengthen the integration of cultural and tourism, develop the night tourism economy, and stimulate domestic demand,an important means for the Zigong lantern industry to get rid of its predicament and revitalize its glory under the epidemic,and a rare strategic opportunity to expand the extension of the Zigong Lantern Festival and open up a new market for Zigong lanterns.

(1)Looking back on the past, there were drawbacks in city lighting during the Spring Festival

First, the time is short and the waste is large. The lighting project in the four districts and two counties of our city during the Spring Festival has generally lasted about two months.In recent years, a district (county) has invested tens of millions of dollars in lighting during the Spring Festival, and as many as tens of millions of dollars. With the end of the lantern festival, most of the lighting fixtures were dismantled and discarded, causing a lot of waste. There is the festival of Lantern Festival, but there is no perennialization of Lantern City.

Second, it is unprofessional and fails to reflect the craftsmanship level of Zigong lanterns. In recent years, most districts and counties have entrusted some construction units and lantern companies to purchase lighting pendants outside of the city, and organize workers to build and hang them. The randomness is strong, reflecting the insufficient cultural connotation of the city and low technical content.

The third is that fertile water flows into outsiders' fields. Since the lighting pendants used are being molded, customized, and mass-produced by other lighting manufacturers, not only does it lack the participation of craftsmen from Zigong lantern enterprises, but also fails to reflect the craftsmanship level of Zigong lanterns. What is more regrettable is that a large amount of profit is derived from The foreign manufacturers earn, and the fertilizer flows into the foreign fields.

(2)Looking at the whole country, the lighting of cities with a thousand cities and huge waste needs to be improved urgently

On December 2, 2019, the Central Education Leading Group on the theme of "Don't Forget Your Original Heart, Keep Your Mission in Mind" issued the "Notice on Renovating "Landscape Lighting Projects" and other "Achievement Projects" and "Face Projects".The "Notice" pointed out: "In recent years, the"Achievement Projects" and "Face Projects"have been found in some places, especially in the construction of cities and towns in poor areas and underdeveloped areas.This not only causes a waste of national financial and social resources, but also promotes a bad atmosphere of fraud and extravagance.It is necessary to fully understand the harmfulness of these problems, persist in seeking truth from facts, implement precise treatment, and do a good job of rectification in a steady and orderly manner. "

        At the same time, we also see that most of such landscape lighting projects are purchased ready-made modern lighting and installed directly in urban buildings, bridges, squares and other places. There is a general lack of theme refinement, local cultural characteristics and urban cultural connotation. They are the same and thousands of cities, so that foreign tourists mistakenly regard other places as their hometown. More prominently, the cost is huge, reaching hundreds of millions or even billions of yuan in some cities.

(3) Based on reality, it is imminent to open up a brand-new Zigong lantern market

According to the "Guiding Opinions on the Normalization of the Epidemic Prevention and Control of Exhibition Activities" issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Health Commission on July 3, 2020, the traditional lantern festival market will face a significant reduction.In terms of the spread of the epidemic around the world,the international market is even less optimistic.Practice in the past few years has proved that Zigong lantern industry enterprises, which are mainly engaged in the creative production of exhibition lanterns, still need time to develop and produce lantern cultural and creative products that enter the home and other interiors.At the same time, it must be noted that the development and production of cultural and creative products for lanterns in Zhongshan Guzhen Town, Yiwu Small Commodity Market, etc., started early, and the industrial chain has been quite complete and advanced, regardless of material, subject matter, practicality, diversity, aesthetics, etc. And so on, has exceeded our vision and imagination, leaving the Zigong Lantern Enterprise's development space is extremely narrow.

        Therefore, through the demonstration effect of the visual image of China lantern City, according to the characteristics of Zigong Lantern industry, developing strengths and avoiding weaknesses, opening up a new lantern consumption market, and developing and making corresponding lantern cultural products have become a very necessary and urgent topic.This is an urgent need for more than 1,000 lantern enterprises and 100,000 lantern cultural industry employees!

2、Description of the elements of lighting products to build an intuitive image of China Lantern City.

(1) There is a clear theme.

(2) It is necessary to highlight the historical culture, folk customs, and folk customs of the city.

(3) Lighting products made with Zigong lantern making skills as the main body.

(4) It can satisfy the perennial, safe and effective.

(5) The display area is the city square, turntable, bridge, green belt, river bank, auxiliary road, part of the building, etc.

To sum up,for lighting products that reflect the intuitive image of China Lantern City,culture is the core,Zigong lantern making technology is the means, and unique urban lighting is the goal.

3、Conditions and prospects for constructing an intuitive image of China Lantern City

(1) The strong intention of the municipal party committee and the municipal government to build a city's cultural image and the vigorous advancement of the "Lantern +" "+Lantern" strategy.

(2) The support of the popularity and reputation of China Lantern City.

(3) The window drainage and guidance of the annual Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival.

(4) The objective requirements for the transformation and upgrading of Zigong's lantern cultural industry.

(5) The innovative and creative capabilities in the design, production, installation, operation and management of Zigong lanterns formed over half a century, as well as the handy ability to use new materials and new processes.

(6) The Zigong lantern cultural industry team and talent team with  100,000.

(7) The emerging raw materials of modern lanterns with durability, strong plasticity and excellent light sense.

(8) Lighting cultural products with soul that are far superior to the "landscape lighting project" in terms of energy conservation, investment and environmental protection, and are different from the "landscape lighting project" in style and connotation.

Building an intuitive image of China Lantern City has a huge market prospect.More than 3,000 administrative divisions above the county level in the country are all its huge potential markets. The attractiveness of this market is self-evident. There is reason to believe that if this market is formed, its annual output value will far exceed the total annual output value of Zigong lanterns displayed at home and abroad.

4、How to build an intuitive image of China Lantern City？

Constructing an intuitive image of China Lantern City  is the need for the development of Zigong City.Its strategic purpose is to use the intuitive image of China's Light City as a demonstration and model, and fully promote it to the domestic and even foreign urban lighting market and realize the Zigong lantern culture another leap in the industry.

Constructing an intuitive image of China Lantern City is related to the sustainable development of Zigong's economic and social development and the cultural industry of Zigong's lanterns.A high-level organization and leadership body should be established by the main leaders of the Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal People’s Congress, the Municipal Government, and the CPPCC, as well as the heads of the districts, counties and related departments; the government departments in charge of the development of the lantern festival, the urban planning and construction departments and the districts County coordinated planning and leading implementation.

         The year 2020 has passed halfway, and there is not much time left for us to operate. In 2021, the city should plan at least 20 main street avenues to build the visual image of China Lantern City, and the city will be rolled out in 2022.

Perennialization is the basic feature of the intuitive image of China Lantern City.According to the specific conditions of the lighting products' raw materials, process technology, subject matter, attachment and installation location, the minimum life span is at least 1 year and the maximum is 5 years.Adopting the principle of who makes and who installs is responsible, the enterprise involved in the production and installation of lanterns should be responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of the lighting landscape.

Every year during the Spring Festival, it costs money to brighten the city. Why not spend this money on the construction of an intuitive image of China Lantern City with perennialization as its basic feature? In principle, not breaking the quota for the highest year of urban lighting during the Spring Festival in all districts and counties is the effective use of funds.

In short, under the COVID-19, the historical opportunity for a new round of revitalization and development of the Zigong lantern cultural industry has been presented to us.

The new form of production, display and consumption of Zigong lantern products is like a round of sunrise, calling for 100,000 Zigong lanterns person to set off again.

Constructing an intuitive image of China Lantern City is also a brand new display of the normalization of the urban cultural image of Zigong.It will definitely open to the outside world, foreign exchange and foreign cooperation in Zigong.Zigong will build a new platform to showcase the new style.

This historical opportunity is fleeting. We should not and will not let it pass by ourselves.

More than half a century ago, especially since the reform and opening up, under the leadership of the Zigong Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, the Zigong people created the famous "Zigong Lantern Festival" brand with their cleverness and hard work.In the new era today, under the unified leadership of the Zigong Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, with the human resources of the 100,000 lantern cultural industry and unique and leading Zigong lantern production skills, we will surely build an intuitive image of the China Lantern City. Zigong Lantern Festival will become a unique form of urban lighting.This unique form will also follow the " Lantern +" and "+ Lantern" strategy proposed by the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government to go to the whole China.

We have this confidence, we should have this confidence.