Chinese Lantern Festival: Light A New Dream

Yufen Luo prepares for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on August 27, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Jian Gong, second from left, unloads a shipment of supplies from a truck in preparation for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on August 21, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Yingtao Huang, left, and Yingliang Lin stand on a stool and a forklift to place a flower on top of a lantern in preparation for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on September 16, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation.(Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Yufen Luo works on site building the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit at Fair Park on August 27, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Yanqing Zhang, left, Shunhong Song, center, and Shunli Song take a nap on cots they made from leftover building supplies near the lagoon at Fair Park on September 16,  2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Hongjin Deng covers the pagoda for the Chinese Lantern Festival in preparation for rain at Fair Park on August 27, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Hongjin Deng works on the pagoda near the lagoon in preparation for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on September 12,  2013 in Dallas.  About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Mingshu Huang, back left, Zhongquan He, lower left, Yingtao Huang, center, Wei Luo, second from right, and Xiquan Yuan, right, of the Chinese Lantern Festival arm wrestle in Fair Park on September 19, 2013 in Dallas. The group often plays games, including arm wresting and mahjong, in their free time. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation.(Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Jiayong Yang welds lanterns in preparation for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on August 27, 2013 in Dallas.  About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Shungui Chen, left, and Xiaoping Zhang, right, unload a shipment of supplies from a truck in preparation for the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park on August 21, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation.  (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Thomas Kuo, 11, left and Princeton Tran, 11, right walk onto the Imperial Dragon Boat during the preview event for the Chinese Lantern Festival on September 25, 2013 at Fair Park in Dallas. The Chinese Lantern Festival will run from September 27, 2013-January 5, 2013. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

People stand under Chinese lanterns during the preview event for the Chinese Lantern Festival on September 25, 2013 at Fair Park in Dallas. The Chinese Lantern Festival will run from September 27, 2013-January 5, 2013. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Jian Gong, left, Yuping Tan, center, and Zhigang Zhu, right, swim in the pool at their apartment complex and celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival on September 19, 2013 in Dallas. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Fuqiang Wu, left, Degui Liu, second from left, Quanming Luo, center, Shungui Chen, second from right and Shunli Song, right raise glasses of beer over traditional Chinese food in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 19, 2013 at the African American Museum in Dallas. The artists eat three meals a day in the museum. About 40 artists are in Dallas from China working on the Chinese Lantern Festival exhibit that will be displayed at the State Fair. The artists live together, eat together and work together seven days a week. Most of artists are part of two large families and their skills have been passed on from generation to generation. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

The Imperial Dragon Boat is lit up during the preview event for the Chinese Lantern Festival on September 25, 2013 at Fair Park in Dallas. The Chinese Lantern Festival will run from September 27, 2013-January 5, 2013. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)