The Ping River is located in a remote mountain area in Taipei County. Originally inhabited by indigenous people, the region was later developed by Han settlers who were often the victims of murder and robbery in earlier times. Since access to the region was inconvenient, these pioneers came up with the idea of releasing "sky lanterns" to let others know that they were safe and sound. Through the years this practice evolved into a tradition celebrated during Lantern Festival. Sky Lanterns are also known as "Kung Ming lanterns," since some people say they were invented by Kung Ming during the Epoch of Three Kingdoms period as a way of communication during war times. Another saying is the resemblance of the lanterns to the hat worn by this famous prime minister.

      Thanks to the wide reporting in the media, the unusual beautiful scenes of releasing sky lanterns draws in recent years huge crowds to the region. Not only do the number of lanterns increase every year, their size continually grows as well. People write special votive messages on the lanterns and release them into the night sky and believe that the higher the lanterns fly, the higher their business will soar. Thus, the sky lanterns provide an expression of prayer as well as a recreational activity.

      The construction of sky lanterns consists of a main body and the frame. The body is made either from cotton paper or oiled paper, and the frame made from bamboo strips. A certain portion of peanut oil and kerosene is mixed as fuel with which the wick is soaked for a few days and then attached to the bottom platform on the lanterns. When the lanterns are lit, the heat from the flame causes the lantern to ascend one after another which makes the sky of Ping River an extremely beautiful scene at the night.