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Long before the Montgolfier brothers conceived of their pioneering hot air balloons in 18th-century France, the precursor had been floating quietly in the skies of ancient China.
Chinese innovators discovered the fundamental principle of lighter-than-air flight and invented what could be considered the world’s first hot-air balloons.
They were referred to as Kongming lanterns or Chinese lanterns.
The Kongming lantern was invented around the 3rd century BC in China during the Warring States period.
These early hot air balloons were made of paper or silk over bamboo.
They took flight via heat from a candle or oil lamp.
These lanterns represented a revolutionary advancement in transportation technology that wouldn’t be replicated in Western civilization for almost 2,000 years.
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Kongming lanterns were named after the brilliant Three Kingdoms military strategist Zhuge Liang (Kongming).
According to legend, he repurposed ceremonial objects into military signaling devices positioned on hilltops.
This helped him communicate with distant troops.
The Kongming lanterns achieved flight through a simple yet ingenious design of silk or paper envelopes suspended over a bamboo frame with a heat source below.
The makers of these balloons had a mastery of aeronautical principles using only basic materials.
Its engineering allowed hot air to create buoyancy while preventing flame contact with the delicate envelope, enabling sustained flight that was remarkable for a civilization without modern materials or the abundant science of today.
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Early evidence of Kongming lanterns can be traced to 5th-century BC Chinese tomb paintings.
The paintings showcase them being used in burial ceremonies and festivals.
Showing that the balloons went beyond military or transportation purposes.
These hot air balloons eventually served primarily for ceremonial and aesthetic roles in Chinese culture—launching during rituals and celebrations—and creating mystical displays that symbolized divine ascension.
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During China’s Tang Dynasty (7th-10th centuries AD)—Kongming lanterns were popular ceremonial tools into popular entertainment features at festivals.
Hundreds of colorfully decorated lanterns would be released in spectacular nighttime displays.
These mass launches became deeply integrated into Tang cultural life.
People inscribed their hopes and prayers on the lanterns before sending them skyward.
This is especially true during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
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During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui in early 7th century China, a remarkable hot air balloon measuring over 30 feet tall was constructed.
It included ornate mythological decorations and a bamboo frame capable of carrying over 200 pounds.
This hot air balloon predated comparable European developments by over a millennium, and it showed that the ancient Chinese were masters of this new mode of flight.
For over 1,500 years—Kongming lanterns—remained largely unknown to the West until French inventors like the Montgolfier brothers independently developed similar technology in the 1780s.
The Chinese may or may not have inspired the brother’s invention.
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Due to safety concerns and government restrictions, the ancient tradition of Kongming lanterns has evolved from fire-powered paper balloons to modern LED versions.
These rules have been enforced across Asia in recent decades.
These cultural symbols have managed to adapt and persist by incorporating new technologies that satisfy both safety regulations and celebratory purposes.
In fact, China now does similar light shows using drones, showcasing how deeply embedded Kongming lanterns are in Asian society.
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