The craft of making Kongming lanterns is a traditional craft project of the fifth batch of representative projects of intangible cultural heritage at the municipal level in Lianyungang City. The principle of making and floating Kongming lanterns is the same as that of hot air balloons, which mainly uses the buoyancy of hot air to make the balloon float into the sky. The production of Kongming lanterns is very delicate and particular. According to Zheng Faying, an old artist who makes Kongming lanterns in Huayuan Township, Guannan County, Kongming lanterns are mainly divided into two parts: the lampshade and the bracket. The lampshade is spherical and covered with silk cotton paper with light texture and good flexibility. With the development of the times, many artists began to use a red moisture-proof paper as raw material. This moisture-proof paper is not only light and thin, but also more flexible than silk cotton paper, which is very conducive to making the upper lampshade of Kongming lanterns. Moreover, the red moisture-proof paper is festive in color, which meets the psychological needs of local villagers for blessings and expectations. Kongming lanterns were first circulated in Guannan County and gradually spread to Lianyungang City. The custom of making and setting off Kongming lanterns in Lianyungang can be traced back to the end of the Qing Dynasty, which is a traditional local folk activity. It is said that Kongming lanterns were invented by Zhuge Liang and have a history of 1,700 years. During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang's army was trapped in Pingyang City by Si Yi. At that time, the enemy was outnumbered and it was impossible to send troops out of the city for help. So Zhuge Liang came up with a plan. He first observed the wind direction, then made a batch of lanterns that would float after being set off overnight, and then tied battle information and distress messages to them, and released these lanterns back into the air and transmitted them back to his base camp, finally escaping the siege. It can be seen that the earliest use of Kongming lanterns was to convey military information. Later, the Shu Han army used Kongming lanterns extensively, and formed a conventional metaphor. Setting off one Kongming lantern represented the enemy's attack, setting off two Kongming lanterns represented the enemy's retreat, and setting off more than two Kongming lanterns represented the number of enemies. Lianyungang area has the custom of holding the Lantern Festival every year, especially in Haizhou area and Xin'an Town, Guannan County. A grand Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year, and it has been passed down to this day. During the Lantern Festival, villagers from all over the country gathered at the festival, watching the lanterns and releasing Kongming lanterns, praying for family health, business prosperity and career development. Nowadays, there is also a custom of releasing Kongming lanterns during weddings, business openings and festivals, and the meaning is mostly to pray for happiness and peace. The Kongming lantern is simple in craftsmanship and light in texture. The Kongming lantern consists of two parts: a lampshade and a bracket. The lampshade is spherical and covered with light and flexible silk cotton paper. The bracket of the Kongming lantern is made of bamboo strips woven into a circle, and thin iron wires are inserted in the middle of the circle into a cross shape, and the wick is placed on the cross-shaped iron wire. When making the lantern, two key links need to be paid attention to. First, the importance and proportion of each part of the bracket are coordinated, otherwise the Kongming lantern will be difficult to take off or the floating speed will not reach the ideal effect. Second, a small amount of diesel and alcohol is added to the production of corduroy, which makes the Kongming lantern's take-off speed one or two times higher than before. The Kongming lantern can be large or small, round or rectangular. The general Kongming lantern is made of bamboo pieces in a round barrel shape, surrounded by thin paper on the outside and facing downward. When you want to light the lantern and let it fly, tie a piece of coarse cloth or gold paper dipped in kerosene or peanut oil in the middle of the bottom bracket. Light the oil before flying. The fire in the lantern will burn for a while and produce hot air, and the Kongming lantern will expand. After letting go, the whole lantern will slowly rise into the sky. Modern people release Kongming lanterns for blessing. Men, women, old and young write down their wishes by hand, symbolizing a successful harvest and happiness every year. Kongming lanterns are all handmade, and the main tools are scissors, pliers, hammers, etc. The materials used are various colors of paper, paste, thin wire, etc. The production of Kongming lanterns is mainly passed down in the form of master-disciple teaching, and many private workshops are preserved in the Huayuan area of Guannan County. Due to the gradual increase in demand for Kongming lanterns in recent years, the number of people making Kongming lanterns in Huayuan area has also increased year by year. Now there are about 30 people engaged in Kongming lantern production in Huayuan Township and Xin'an Town, both old and young. Among them, Zheng Faying, female, was born in 1956. She was poor when she was young. When she was a teenager, she learned to make Kongming lanterns from her father to make money to supplement the family income. For many years, she has been engaged in the production and sales of Kongming lanterns. The Kongming lanterns she made are beautiful and have a unique style. They are well-known locally. When Kongming lanterns were first invented, they were used in the military to transmit intelligence. Now that the world is prosperous and peaceful, Kongming lanterns have not been eliminated. Instead, they have been given new meanings and have become a New Year's blessing. They have very important historical value and mass base. Every year at the Lantern Festival in Xin'an Town, Guannan County, many men, women, young and old fly Kongming lanterns, and personally express their wishes under the Kongming lanterns, implying a successful harvest, peace and happiness in the new year. This is an important social ecological and humanistic foundation for the inheritance of Kongming lanterns, and it can continue to be inherited and protected. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)