‘Unique’ and ‘stunning’: Hong Kong’s fire dragon dance draws thousands to Tai Hang
Thousands of people lined the narrow streets of Hong Kong’s Tai Hang neighbourhood in Causeway Bay on Sunday night to witness the annual fire dragon dance, with spectators calling the performance “unique” and “stunning”. Troupe members began the procession on Wun Sha Street at around 8.25pm, hoisting up the fire dragon straw frame adorned with…
Thousands of people lined the narrow streets of Hong Kong’s Tai Hang neighbourhood in Causeway Bay on Sunday night to witness the annual fire dragon dance, with spectators calling the performance “unique” and “stunning”.
Troupe members began the procession on Wun Sha Street at around 8.25pm, hoisting up the fire dragon straw frame adorned with more than 10,000 burning incense sticks as drums, gongs and cymbals were struck.
Spectators cheered and hurried to snap photos as the 67-metre (200 foot) fire dragon danced past them.
Restaurants around the neighbourhood were packed, and stalls outside selling refreshments drew long queues of people in search of a cold drink on the hot night.
Among them were Rosie Chen, 28, a marketing officer from Shenzhen, and her boyfriend, and they had enjoyed a Thai meal before the parade started.
“You don’t see people packed for one thing very often,” Chen said. “The fire dragon dance is absolutely unique. Before the performance, a group of children were dancing with a smaller dragon with those LED lights on and were just adorable.”
Tom Smith, 23, a postgraduate student from Britain, came with friends he met at school in Hong Kong a few years ago.
