The Origin of Fire Dragon Dance

Pokfulam Village started its first fire dragon dance in 1910, and is now one of the only two places in Hong Kong still having such performance, the other place being Tai Hang. In the past, it was believed that all kinds of illnesses were related to devils, and could be cured with the power of gods. The villagers believed that a fire dragon made with straw and lit up with incenses all along the dragon was a media to communicate with gods and devils, and could help to eliminate the illnesses and misfortune. The fire dragon dance has become a tradition of Pokfulam Village. In the old days, it was held on two nights on and before Mid-autumn Festival, but is now held only on Mid-Autumn Festival night.

This print is based on a drawing by the Qing dynasty artist Wu Youru 吳友如 who was active in China during the nineteenth century.