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Grab your camera and slap on something flame resistant, it’s time to witness one of China’s most incredible displays – the fire dragon dance.
The dragon, a sacred mythical creature in Chinese culture, is often the protagonist in festivities and rituals.
Dragon dances have been documented at ceremonial events since the Han Dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE), while fire dragon dances began appearing in records during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and in the Republican era (1912-1949). Some historians say fire dragon dances date back even further, to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
“These dances served purposes such as celebrating festivals and warding off plagues,” says Kwok Kam Chau, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University whose research focuses on festivals and religion in Chinese societies.
Kwok and his colleague, professor Chung Po Yin, have spent the last few years studying fire dragon dances.
“Throughout Chinese history, there are records of dragon worship ceremonies, yet they were associated with ‘water’ rather than ‘fire.’ In ancient times, people worshipped dragons to beseech for rain. This belief stems from folk religion, and Buddhist and Taoist belief, where dragons are revered as river gods or rain deities.”
From an anthropological perspective, he says the fire dragon procession route holds great significance “as it exemplifies the local villagers’ perception of their community and its geopolitical ties,” says Kwok.
Today, fire dragon dances take place all over the country as part of Spring Festival/Lunar New Year festivities, but performances differ in shapes and forms.
We’ve pulled together a selection of top options for travelers looking to experience this fiery Chinese tradition in person.
Imaginechina Limited/Alamy Stock Photo
Entertainers perform a fire dragon dance to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Puzhai town, in China’s Guangdong province.
Puzhai Village, located in Fengshun County in Guangdong province, has been hosting fire dragon dance shows every year during China’s Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year (February 24 this year), since the Qing Dynasty.
The centuries-old tradition was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage of China in 2008.
As the firecrackers are lit, a flurry of shirtless men rush into the village plaza, all working together to hoist a dancing dragon that’s over 30 meters long and is covered in fireworks that make its body sparkle brightly.
The event usually begins with various fireworks displays and performances, before a village elder lights the fireworks that are set along the livery of the colorful dragon, bringing the festivity to its climax.
The Steel Fire Dragon Dance has been performed in different towns in China’s Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in Hunan province, for centuries.
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