Posted 2017/2/16
Ice Lanterns were once a tool for night light. They were made by Famers feeding horses on the Songnen Plain and anglers fishing at the coastwise of Songhua River in the winter. They put water in a bucket and freeze it first. Then bring it back in the house and heat it for a little while before the water was completely frozen. Make the ice separate from the bucket and dig a hole from the bottom to the centre of the ice. Pour the no-frozen water out, it became an ice lamp-chimney. The candle wouldn’t be puff out if covered with the ice chimney.
Later, poor people who couldn’t afford real lanterns at new years made ice lanterns just for fun. Then, ice lanterns became a symbolic of holidays in the winter. It was until 1963, ice lanterns were put together like exhibitions.
