Sky lanterns float up into the air in Pingxi, New Taipei City of southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 22, 2016. In total 1,600 sky lanterns were set afloat on the Lantern Festival here. (Xinhua/Zhang Guojun)

The pastime of flying lanterns goes back centuries in China, where they are symbols of peace and good fortune, but that tradition is now under attack.

Traditional sky lanterns are made of paperand bambooframes. Afterrising 300 to 500 meters,the flame suspended at the bottom goes out and the lantern falls.

This makes them “flying garbage”and a “safety threat”, say critics who want them abolished.

However,Taiwan entrepreneur Shao Ai-Ting, 26, argues the lanterns can be made so they burn up in the air and no remains fall to the ground.

“The sky lantern is an important cultural attraction of Taiwan,”said Shao.“If we just stand by and do nothing, theycould really be banned.It would be a great pity, wouldn’t it?”

Foreign visitors were going to light up a pink lantern with their wishes written on it. (Xinhua/Jia Zhao)

Blessing or Blemish

Also known as Kongminglanterns,they are believed tohave been invented by renowned military strategist Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period (A.D. 220-280) as a means to pass military information in war.

In the Qingdynasty, migrants from Fujian Province broughtthem to Taiwan. Some settled in Pingxi, a hillside town in the north of the island.Threatened by bandits, they often fled to the mountains.Those left in the town would use lanternstosignal safetyand call their families back. Theywere also called“safety lanterns” or“blessing lanterns.”

Sky lanternsare arguablya symbol of Taiwan. The Taiwan Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo was built in the shape of a huge sky lantern and during holidays, the number of visitorsto Pingxiwould rise to 100,000.

Pingxi’s annual Lantern Festivalin the Lunar New Year has beena spectacle with thousands of lanterns rising in the darkness.

The next day, however,isanother scene: fallen lanterns scattered on roofs, treetops, in streams and everywhere. They have become garbage.

Most local dealers make lanterns with water-proof paper and adhesive tape or iron wire, but these materialscannot easily degrade in nature. It has been reported the iron frameshave hurt or trapped wild animals. In some cases,lanterns caused fires or traffic accidents.

“Don’t let the lantern with your dreams become a nightmarefor locals,”says a petitioncalling for a banby Pingxi villagers.

“I really don’t encourage releasing sky lanterns. I have seen a falling lantern kill an owl,” said Youtube user“Afengxueping”.

In the 2014 Lantern Festival, environmentalists criticized themayors of threeTaiwancitiesfor releasing sky lanterns together. Localauthorities were required to re-evaluate the risks and tighten the controls.

“Rather than the lantern itself, it is the garbage the lantern produces that should be banned,” said Shao.

Tourists release sky lanterns to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Pingxi, New Taipei City, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Economically friendly

In 2016, Shao founded a company called “Cultural Bank” to record, protect and innovate Taiwan's traditional culture. Since then, her team has begun to make lanterns more environmentally friendly.

They once thought of making them with rice paper, so if they dropped inthemountains, the paper would dissolve in rain.

In February, Shaocrowd-funded online for their latest lanterns and raised 1.6 million new Taiwan dollars (about 52,000 U.S. dollars) in about three months. They updated the bamboo frameso the flame burns out the lantern in the air,“with nothing falling on the ground,” said Shao.

She plannedto priceaneco-friendly lanternat350 to 450 new Taiwan dollars, two or three timesthe priceofacommon lantern. She had confidence that people would pay more for environment.

However,some locals have cast doubt on hereco-friendly materialsas too complexand likely toproduce more pollution in the making process.

Lin Guohe, 71, one of few traditional lantern craftsmen in Pingxi,supported Shao, but proposed that lanterns should be friendly not only to the environment, but totheeconomy.

Since 2013,thelocal government hasoffered cash rewards to people who bring lanterns to arecyclingstation.

Most lantern collectors are elderly. If the eco-friendly lanternsbecome popular, they would lose that income, said Lin.

Pingxi people once relied on coal mines, but after theywereclosed, the lantern business gradually became a pillar ofthe economy.

“Without lanterns, who will come to this remote mountainous area?” asked one resident.

One Facebook post suggested the lantern rubbish indicatedPingxi has been overrunby visitors.

Shao said the lanterns could save the local economy.

“If they are really banned for polluting the environment, the local economy will definitely be hit hard,” she says.

Shao Ai-Ting and her teammate are making lanterns.

Finding a balance

Many other traditional customs have already given way to environmental concerns.

Mainland cities like Beijing and Shanghai have banned fireworks during the Spring Festival in light of heavy air pollution and injuries. In Taiwan, some firework shows at popular temple blessing ceremonies have also been canceled in recent years.

On the other hand, many people like Shaoaretrying to keep traditional customs alive through innovation.

Taiwan company Culture Art and Nature (CAN) made scraps of firework paper into red envelopes or blessing charms.

Amber Chen, activity manager of CAN, said the idea of recycling firework paper explores new connections between believers and Matsu, the Chinese sea goddess.

“Traditional beliefs and customs should not be prohibited due to environmental concerns. The two are not in contradiction, but could be balanced,” said Chen.

Shaois planning a green fund, using part of the revenue to plant trees, which may absorb the carbon emissions caused by burning lanterns.

“Protecting culture is something that everyone can contribute to,”she said.