Ｔｒａｄｉｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｆｏｌｋ Ｔｏｙｓ

ＨＵＯ　ＪＩＡＮＹＩＮＧ

ZHU Jianshen (1447-1487), a Ming Dynasty sovereign of the ForbiddenCity from 1465 to 1487, was more of a romantic artist than an emperor,and he was fascinated by the lives of those beyond the imperial walls.During the Lantern Festival of 1485, he ordered a duplication of folkcelebrations in the palace. In no time, a spacious courtyard was converted into alantern fair; archways made of branches were erected and hung with row uponrow of lanterns, booths were set up with "vendors" hawking their wares, and folkartists and performers demonstrated their skills. The entire imperial family, eu-nuchs and court maids attended the lantern fair without ceremony, and eventhe emperor himself was dressed like a commoner, as children and youngsters scampered about holding lanterns. It was the happiest festival that Zhu Ji- anshen had ever spent, and he ordered court artists to record the scene on a scroll. Later, the painting was known as Ming Emperor Xianzong Enjoying the Lantern Festival. The emperor appears in three places in the painting wearinga bright smile. The painting was shown at the 2008 Beijing Olympics openingceremony.