JOHOR BARU: During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is common to see colourful paper and plastic lanterns lighting up homes and streets, but what about making one from fruit?
Fruit carving artist Wong Chin Chuang, 38, said turning fruits into lanterns offers a creative way for families to celebrate the festival while learning about a centuries-old Chinese art form.
“Lanterns can be made from common fruits like oranges and pomelos by scooping out the fruit for consumption and then carving the outer skin to your desired design.
“We can even make larger lanterns with watermelons that are carved and assembled using an interlocking structure and technique without the need for glue, wires or metal wiring,” he said in an interview.
Wong recently conducted a free fruit lantern-making workshop during the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration held in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee heritage street here to give the public an opportunity to experience the hands-on activity.
“I taught children and adults how to turn oranges into lanterns shaped like Pikachu, with a small LED light placed inside to illuminate them.
“It feels much more special than simply buying a mass-produced lantern,” he said.
Wong, who works in the finance industry, said he started learning fruit carving in Taiwan about three years ago after an online post piqued his interest.
He has since won gold medals in fruit carving competitions held in Taiwan and Malaysia.
He added that fruit carving dates back more than 300 years to the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty in China.
“Back then, the art was very popular and only skilled artisans were chosen to do the carving in the palace.
“Today, it is not as widely known among the public, so I hope more people can be introduced to the art through more community workshops,” he said.
A participant, Andrew Ooi, 46, said his nine-year-old daughter Sun Hui enjoyed making her first lantern from an orange.
“My daughter enjoys doing handicrafts at school, and this is her first time using fruit as a medium to make her own lantern.
“Children today really need more outdoor activities and genuine face-to-face social interaction rather than relying solely on online platforms.
“I hope to see more community activities like this in future to help pass down Chinese traditions, learning about our culture in a fun way and promote social interaction,” he said.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on this Friday.
