After living in China for almost 3 years, I couldn’t wait to visit Zoominations, A Chinese Festival of Lights at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. My family and I finally had the opportunity last week and it’s simply SPECTACULAR! I had seen many photos of the exhibit but nothing can prepare you for the wonder of Zoominations.
Zoominations is a limited time exhibit celebrating the traditional art of Chinese Lanterns. We’re very lucky to have it here in Tampa as it’s only exhibiting in four cities worldwide: London, Beijing, Toronto and Tampa Bay!
In China, the Lantern Festival marks the culmination of the Chinese New Year and symbolizes the wish for a bright future. A team of over 40 craftsman from the Zigong village in China, the birthplace of the Chinese lantern festival, came to the Zoo from China to construct the dazzling array of lighted structures throughout the park.
We arrived at the Zoo a bit before dark and watched it come alive as night fell. Thousands of lighted lanterns are accompanied by larger than life size, lighted dragons, pandas, elephants, peacocks, fish, hippos, zebras, giraffes, and tigers, along with replicas of some of China’s most famous buildings.
A jaw dropping replica of the Manfeilong Pagoda, a famous pagoda in Southeast China, greeted us as we entered the gates. The pagoda is constructed from 70,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain and stands nearly 60 feet tall! It took three weeks to string together, by hand, the white porcelain bowls, plates, and spoons. At night, the structure is illuminated in a rainbow of dazzling colors.
The Temple of Heaven, considered the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples, is also part of the exhibit. This was especially memorable for my Mom and I because we saw the real thing together in Beijing.
These Chinese dragons were also amazing. They are made of tiny glass medicine bottles filled with colored water and tied together by hand. I can't imagine how long each one took to construct.
While we did have an 8 year old with us when we visited, this is not just a children’s event. In fact we saw many more adults than kids and all were equally amazed.
Zoominations is only here until May 31st so don't miss your chance to see this amazing exhibit!
To see more Zoominations photos, click here.
