My friends and I made plans to go to the Zigong Lantern Festival together, taking the opportunity to cosplay the original skins of the Honor of Kings Four Beauties. Leaving Chengdu early in the morning for Zigong, makeup, styling, and dressing took almost the entire morning. Then we immediately rushed into the park to start our intensive shooting schedule, working continuously until the park closed at 10 PM—a truly exhausting yet joyful day.
This was truly an ultimate challenge. The huge pink lotus prop held in my hand in the photo originally had a ready-made mold, but in our rush out the door, it was left behind in the Chengdu hotel. Just when I thought we would have to shoot empty-handed without props, my fellow cosplayer Yuhuan pulled out materials on the spot and hand-crafted one for me. Not only was the shape molded plumply, but even the gradient color of the lotus was naturally airbrushed. I was so touched at that moment I could almost cry. Not to mention another companion's Diao Chan hairstyle, which was also styled by Yuhuan—it was styled so snugly and securely that running, jumping, and filming hand dance videos all day didn't loosen it at all. Only those of us who do cosplay late into the night truly understand the value of having an all-around crafter friend.
The venue of the Zigong Lantern Festival was much larger than imagined, filled everywhere with large theme lantern installations. When we arrived, it was still daylight, so we first shot close-ups—like the group photo in Picture 1. To restore the characters' temperament as much as possible, makeup details and accessory placements were adjusted repeatedly. Once night fell and all the lanterns lit up, the atmosphere was instantly dialed to max. The perspective in Picture 2 shows the four of us standing by the railing, looking at the huge mythical-themed lantern statues ahead; although it's just a back view, at that moment, all the travel fatigue felt entirely worth it.
We also filmed lots of funny short videos along the way, such as slow-motion walking clips and interactive multi-person hand dances. Surrounded by so many huge colorful lanterns, the shooting effect was remarkably joyful. Walking through crowds late at night in such intricate dresses drew a high turn-around rate, and occasionally passersby would come up to ask what we were cosplaying—that feeling of recognition was fantastic.
By the time the park closed, everyone was actually too tired to speak, and taking off wigs and shoes felt like a massive relief. Although completely drained after the full day, seeing the bright, vivid final photos and fun video footage in the camera brought a genuine sense of fulfillment. Everyone was teasing each other, saying we'd need at least two days to recover. Though we didn't bring all our accessories, thanks to everyone's improvisation and the versatile Yuhuan, the Honor of Kings Four Beauties Cosplay output quality reached my expectations—which is probably the true meaning of doing cosplay with good friends during this Spring Festival lantern festival season.