Guomen Times: Zigong's colorful lights "light up" all over the world
Recently, the night sky of Houston in the United States, Paris in France, and London in the United Kingdom has been illuminated by a series of brilliant and magnificent Chinese lanterns. These Eastern lights and shadows from Zigong, known as the 'Southern Lantern City', carry a strong cultural connotation of China and have entered the festival celebrations of 81 cities in 18 countries around the world. This is not only the dissemination of culture, but also an industrial growth from the Sichuan Basin to the world stage - behind it is the full escort of Zigong Customs, a loyal defender of the national border and a pioneer in salt city services under Chengdu Customs.
Intellectual property is the first threshold that cultural products must cross when going global. In the past, although Zigong lantern companies were full of creativity, they did not have a deep understanding of international rules and had relatively weak awareness of intellectual property protection. Creativity is our lifeline, and if it is counterfeited, the losses are incalculable, "said a leader of a lantern company.
Therefore, Zigong Customs took the initiative to issue a "rule of law prescription". They have solidly carried out the "Longteng Action" for customs protection of intellectual property rights, guiding enterprises throughout the process of filing for customs protection of intellectual property rights, and putting on intellectual property "protective armor" for original lamp groups. More importantly, the customs actively participated in the formulation of the "Zigong City Lantern Culture Protection Regulations" and built a protective barrier from the source. This is equivalent to obtaining an 'ID card' and a 'talisman' for our cultural creativity, "said the person in charge of Zigong Haitian Culture Co., Ltd.
The large size and numerous components of colored lights have posed a headache for sea transportation. In the past, it often took two to three months to transport large lamp groups to Europe, and the exhibition time was very tight, "said the logistics manager of Zigong Beigang Logistics Co., Ltd.
Zigong Customs targets this' middle obstruction 'and takes the lead in playing the role of' logistics matchmaker '. Organize logistics companies to connect with lantern enterprises and jointly optimize solutions. At the same time, we will strengthen the linkage with the customs of Qinzhou Port, Fangcheng Port and other ports, and make every effort to smooth the "southbound channel". Nowadays, taking the "Zigong Beibu Gulf" rail sea intermodal train has shortened the average departure time of large light groups by 30 days. Time is cost and competitiveness, and this' fast lane 'has been driven too timely! "The companies praised one after another.
Each lantern project is unique, and the needs of each enterprise are also different. Zigong Customs abandons the "one size fits all" approach and implements "one enterprise, one policy" precise services, establishes a "green channel" for cultural exports, provides "one-on-one" product classification guidance, and prioritizes the processing of origin certificates for colored light products. By 2025, a total of 45 relevant certificates will be issued to assist enterprises in enjoying foreign tariff preferences.
In response to the problem of small and medium-sized enterprises being unable or afraid to leave, Zigong Customs actively helps enterprises cultivate various foreign trade professionals, and timely pushes international market dynamics and policy information through the "Zigong International Trade Group". It's like having a 'navigator' and 'toolbox' for going abroad, which makes me feel much more at ease, "said a small and medium-sized enterprise manager who is participating in overseas projects for the first time.
Under the escort of Zigong Customs, the "bright" data of Zigong's lantern industry has become increasingly dazzling: as of 2025, Zigong lanterns have occupied over 80% of the foreign market share, with an annual output value exceeding 6 billion yuan and driving employment of over 100000 people. In the whole year, the export volume to countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road" exceeded 47 million yuan, up 19.1% year on year. A total of 69 enterprises have been selected as key national cultural export enterprises.
At present, Zigong Customs is collaborating with local departments such as commerce, culture, and tourism to build a long-term service mechanism. More and more "Chinese light and shadow" illuminate the night sky of more countries, becoming a brilliant carrier for telling Chinese stories and promoting people to people communication.