Illuminated dragon dance procession by Portland Lee’s Association (Photo by Alvaro Campomanes)

Hi friend,

I’m writing to you from Taipei, my hometown, where I just flew back to be near my mom. She’s been in the hospital since last Saturday, so my days have been a mix of worry, waiting, and the kind of quiet comfort that comes from being surrounded by family and old friends.

This morning I’m sitting in my hotel room, and just outside, Ximending is waking up in lantern-light mode. It’s one of Taipei’s busiest shopping districts, and this year it’s also one of the two main sites for Taipei Lantern Festival 2026. Tonight is their second evening, and you can already feel the city warming up for it. Crews are stringing lights overhead, storefronts are glowing, and the whole district is starting to shimmer like it’s practicing for showtime. And yes, Taipei being Taipei, there is a GIANT Optimus Prime lantern in the mix. Because why not invite a heroic robot, plus what I can only assume was an impressively large sponsorship check, to a centuries-old holiday? 

Watching it all come together has been unexpectedly grounding. It reminds me that Lantern Festival has always been about more than decorations. It’s about people choosing light, together, right when the year is still new and the nights are still long. 

One folktale I grew up hearing: 

Long, long ago, a heavenly bird accidentally landed in the human world and was killed by mistake. The Jade Emperor, furious, ordered fire to be sent down on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month. But the kind Kitchen God couldn’t bear to see people harmed, so he came up with a plan that was equal parts clever and theatrical. 

For three nights, every household hung red lanterns, lit torches, and set off firecrackers, turning the world below into a blazing sea of red light. When the Fire God looked down from the sky, he saw the glow and thought, “Well, looks like it already happened,” and returned to Heaven to report back. The people were spared. Ever since, we light lanterns each year to remember how light, community, and a little ingenuity can change the ending of a story. 

That’s also the why behind Lan Su’s Dragon + Light Show Lantern Viewing Evenings. 

We hang lanterns because Lantern Festival is, at its heart, a celebration of finding brightness with the people you love, especially when the nights are still long. And we bring in the Dragon Dance because in Chinese culture, the dragon isn’t a villain or a monster. It’s a majestic guardian of water and weather, a symbol of vitality, and a hopeful promise for the year ahead. It’s rhythm and movement and collective joy, powered by drums and teamwork, and the feeling that the whole garden is waking up, one step at a time. 

If you’ve been thinking about coming, consider this your little nudge from Taipei. Tickets are extremely limited from now through March 1. If you’re craving a quieter kind of glow, we also offer Music + Lantern Viewing Evenings March 4-8, where you can take a lantern-lit walk with family, sip tea, and linger among shimmering lanterns and string music. 

I’m incredibly proud of what the Lan Su team has prepared for you this season. We’ve been working hard on the collective experience, not just to show you something beautiful, but to share the stories, the references, and the WHYs behind it all. Because sure, any mall can hang Lunar New Year decorations. But in my humble opinion, it’s the why that turns a one-time practice into culture, with the warmth of humanity at its center. 

I never imagined spending the second week of Lunar New Year not in Portland, but the blessing in disguise is that I get to be here for my family during Lantern Festival next week. I hope you’ll bring your family to Lan Su’s Lantern Viewing Evenings, too, and share some family time under the glowing lanterns. 

Happy Lantern Festival from my family to yours—and please take a lantern selfie at Lan Su for me!