Feature: Chinese Lanterns Festival attracts Polish citizens,

WARSAW, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lanterns, music, and tai chi classes are among the attractions here this August for the 6th annual Chinese Lanterns Festival at the Royal Lazienki Museum.

The event brings together thousands of people who wish to know more about China.

Marta Marta Matusiak, event organization manager from the museum, told Xinhua there was huge interest in the festival, with concerts, workshops and guided tours fully booked right after the museum announced them.

In 2016, the interest in the Chinese Lanterns Festival was so huge that the museum decided to prolong the events and activities until the end of September. This year, they are also considering doing the same.

The lanterns are the major event of an international project called "Gardens of Light" whose aim is to promote historic gardens and museums all over the world. The Royal Lazienki Museum takes part in the project together with museums from China, Germany, Russia, France and Denmark.

Chinese lanterns highlight oriental culture and were very popular in the era of Enlightenment.

"Early in the 18th century, Polish King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, took a huge interest in Chinese culture and the so-called 'chinoiserie'. China was very popular, as we can see from the Chinese-inspired elements within the palace museum," Matusiak said.

"There are many Chinese elements and objects in our collection. Even the bridges leading to the Palace on the Isle are China-inspired."

As for this year's event, on Aug. 6, there was a concert in the Chinese Garden featuring jazz pieces in Chinese arrangements as well as workshops devoted to the music of the Middle Kingdom and the tea brewing ceremony, Matusiak said.

The museum is also a popular destination for official Chinese delegations, she said.

A young mother says of the festival: "I really enjoy the festival and so do my kids. We have been here last year, and the kids were very excited to see the illumination and the Chinese garden. They especially liked the Chinese lion statues."

The Royal Lazienki Museum in Warsaw consists of a palace and garden complex over nearly 80 hectares. The origins of Lazienki date back to the 17th century. The last king of Poland, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, established his summer residence here.