The most famous Chinese tradition: the launch of celestial flashlights

Celestial flashlights is a flying paper structure that glows at the same time. It is a paper cover stretched over a light frame made of wood. Such a design is very popular in the countries of the East and operates on the principle of a hot air balloon.

History of

Such designs are first mentioned in ancient Chinese chronicles, dating back to around 200 AD.And they had at that time a completely different purpose. In particular, General Zhuge Liang, according to sources, used flashlights to instill fear to enemy troops.

The device in the form of a paper lamp was known and long before, about III century BC.It is also known that such lanterns were means for signal transmission in army units. Also in China, paper lanterns were of religious significance.

In Europe, the mass appearance of flashlights was recorded in 2006.They began to run in memory of the dead and just during mass events.

Device and principle of operation

So, the paper lantern consists of several structural elements:

  1. The supporting structure is represented in it by a wooden frame, which is made most often from bamboo.
  2. The lower part of the frame is attached to the burner by means of a thin wire. If we talk about the traditional burner, then it is made of cotton fabric, which is impregnated with wax. It can also be made of paper, which is impregnated with flammable liquids. Modern analogues have burners made of combustible polymers.
  3. Traditionally, the dome is made from rice paper. As a rule, it is impregnated with a special compound that prevents its ignition. The skeleton and dome of Chinese flying lanterns can be made in various shapes, starting from the ball and the cylinder, and ending with animal figures.

The principle of operation of such a flashlight is to heat the air with a burner to a temperature of about 120 degrees Celsius. Since the heated air has a lower mass, it also ensures that the flashlight is raised in colder air.

Conclusion

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