Barco lighting up the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan for magic light show

1,700 years since its construction, the tower, with profound historical significance, has been destroyed and rebuilt for several times. In 2020, Barco installed an outdoor projection system with 14 Barco UDX series projectors for the Yellow Crane Tower. Since then, a light show has been staged on the tower during night tours. This was the first time that the Yellow Crane Tower was available for night tours since its reconstruction in 1985. The night tours also coincide with the effective control of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. The lighting on the Yellow Crane Tower has attracted great attention from local citizens and people across the country inspiring the entire nation in the wake of the epidemic and sparking immediate positive online reviews from visitors.

Small devices for big problems

In order to protect the ancient elements of the Yellow Crane Tower, Barco uses only innovative technologies, including laser projection and foreground screen, to achieve the perfect integration of light and shadow. Due to the particularity of the Yellow Crane Tower Park, the installation of the projectors should have minimal impact on the overall landscape. The possible installation sites for projectors are quite limited, which adds to the challenge of the project.

After paying visits to the site, Barco, a leading global professional provider of video and display solutions, decided to use UDX-W40 laser projectors. This decision was made based on Barco's competitive advantages in products and rich experience, aiming at finding a solution even in challenging installation conditions. The UDX-W40 is extremely compact in size and supports 360-degree installation, making it best suited for complex sites and more difficult set-ups like the Yellow Crane Tower project.

Colorful ancient buildings powered by modern technology

Once the installation was ready, however, the project encountered a new problem. Since ancient Chinese buildings feature complex structures and complicated ornaments which may block the light during the projection it was important to ensure a complete view to the audience through clever light path design.

In order to guarantee a complete view of the light show, Barco used 12 UDX-W40 laser projectors to light up the Yellow Crane Tower main building and 2 additional UDX-W32s to power the projection with extra lumens. Barco’s projectors come with the high-level blending and warping capabilities to achieve this kind of cross-projection set-up perfectly. This solution proved helpful and enabled perfect visual experience to the audience.

Technology, for better experience and a wonderful life

After several months of hard work by Barco and its partner Landsky in China, a unique light show was finally organized. Powered by modern technologies, the light and shadow images were so vivid that even the feathers of the cranes could be clearly seen with the sharpest details. The light show at Yellow Crane Tower not only colored the nightlife of the Wuhan citizens, but also promoted the development of local tourism and night-view economy.

Although most parts of the process, from the initial projection tests to the final presentation, coincided with the most severe moment of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the project was still successfully executed. This largely due to the persistence of Barco's team to light up the Yellow Crane Tower and the team’s desire to inspire the people with a colorful message of hope during pandemic times. In the future, Barco will continue to take practical actions, power life with technology, and bring more excellent visual experiences.