“There were times when I felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously or was not expected to speak up or give a firm opinion,” she said.įor anyone who has witnessed the tremendous grandeur of LuminoCity, there’s little suspense as to the outcomes of the battles that Chen faced in her journey to launch the festival. In an interview with Authority Magazine, Chen described the obstacles she faced as a result of her age, race, and gender. The event production industry’s lack of diversity further hindered Chen’s attempts to raise capital for the festival. At the same time, she wanted to modernize the traditional Chinese lantern festival to create an attraction unlike anything already in existence.Ī graduate of Pratt Institute in New York City, Chen had a creative background fitting for the conceptualization of an innovative lantern festival but none of the business experience useful for turning her vision into reality. In LuminoCity’s three-year run, the shining success of the festival has not come absent of challenges, but founder Xiaoyi Chen’s natural gift for finding the light in the face of adversity has enabled the event to triumphantly navigate any difficulties that have arisen.Ĭhen, who grew up in Zigong in China's Sichuan Province and has fond childhood memories of the city’s elaborate and ever-expanding annual lantern festival, dreamt of introducing this exuberant celebration of light to New Yorkers more accustomed to strings of bulbs lining the windows and rooftops of neighborhood homes and inflatable Santas waving from snow-dusted yards.
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