The drums and gongs sounded, and the fire dragon flew over. Every year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fire dragon dance, a traditional folk activity in Hong Kong with a history of more than 100 years, will arrive as scheduled. Amidst the joyful sound of gongs and drums, the athletes held long poles and danced vigorously. The fire dragon sometimes leaped into the air, sometimes lowered its head and plunged, winding through the streets and alleys with a magnificent momentum. Everywhere it went, it was crowded with spectators, who kept taking photos and cheering. The whole process was lively and extraordinary. There are two main places in Hong Kong that still maintain the tradition of dragon dancing, namely Tai Hang and Pok Fu Lam Village. In 2017, the Hong Kong SAR Government released the first list of representative works of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, including "Mid-Autumn Festival - Fire Dragon Dance in Dakeng" and "Mid-Autumn Festival - Fire Dragon Dance in Pokfulam". The origins of the two are similar. Legend has it that in the late 19th century, a plague occurred in the local area. At that time, villagers believed that incense could drive away the plague, and the dragon was a symbol of auspiciousness in Chinese culture. Therefore, the fire dragon parade was used to purify the entire village and pray for blessings for the residents. Their practice time is Mid-Autumn Festival, but the former is three nights in a row (on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival, the first day of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the next day of Mid-Autumn Festival), while the latter is only held on the fourteenth and fifteenth nights of the eighth lunar month. Pokfulam Village is mainly inhabited by generations of villagers, while Dakeng is located in Causeway Bay and has now transformed from a Hakka village into a bustling commercial district, with the original villagers gradually relocating. The Great Pit Dance Fire Dragon mainly dances on open roads, with a larger dragon body and stronger performance; The Pokfulam Fire Dragon Dance mainly shuttles through the narrow roads of Pokfulam Village, with smaller dragon bodies and stronger regional characteristics. Both have their own exciting aspects. Although both are dance dragons from Hong Kong Island, they are more well-known to the public because the former was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in June 2011. As the Mid Autumn Festival approaches, residents living in Dakeng start to get busy. They spontaneously gather together to make the dragons and lanterns needed for dancing the fire dragon. For them, dancing the fire dragon is not only a festive performance, but also carries profound cultural significance and neighborly affection. Nowadays, many citizens who have moved out of Dakeng still maintain the habit of watching fire dragons dance. Some even put down their jobs and returned to Dakeng to help make fire dragons. The total length of the Dakeng Fire Dragon is about 67 meters, divided into 32 sections. The dragon body is made of coarse hemp rope, and the dragon body is wrapped with straw (there used to be a large amount of straw in the Dakeng fields, but now it has been changed to pearl grass). Once the dragon body is formed, it reaches the dragon head. The dragon head is made of bent rattan as a skeleton, supplemented by serrated iron plates for dragon teeth, two flashlights for the eyes, and a lacquered mahogany plate for the tongue. When dancing, the dragon's body is filled with burning longevity incense (string incense), and a dragon ball made from Shatian pomelo filled with string incense drives and leads it around the area. The entire dragon weighs over 100 kilograms, with the dragon head alone weighing 48 kilograms. Before dancing, guests or elders will carefully and evenly plant tens of thousands of longevity incense sticks into the dragon's body. When dancing, sparks of fire and smoke will fill the air, giving off the aura of a dragon going out to sea. More than 300 people are required to participate in the entire process of the Dakeng Fire Dragon Dance, but all the neighbors are willing to help and work together to inherit and protect this precious tradition. There are many ways to dance with the Fire Dragon, including movements such as "Double Pearl Playing with the Fire Dragon", "Fire Dragon Crossing the Bridge", and "Joyful Joining the Dragon Team". Each move embodies the desire of Hong Kong citizens to pursue a better life. At 6pm, after finishing the finishing touch of the Dakeng Fire Dragon at the Dakeng Lotus Palace, it moved to Anshubi Street to plant incense and light the dragon. Then, the Fire Dragon will perform the "Joyful Dragon Troupe" first and greet the guests and audience. Next, parade along Huansha Street, Jing Street, Xincun Street, Shibi Street, Shuguan Street, and other streets. After the parade is completed, the Fire Dragon will return to Huansha Street to exchange incense. The old fragrance will be pulled out and the organizer will send it to the audience for good luck. After switching to the new fragrance, the Fire Dragon will return to Huansha Street to continue performing. When the three performances of "Fire Dragon Crossing the Bridge", "Fire Dragon Entangled Double Pillars", and "Colorful Lantern Fire Dragon Reunion" were completed, it was almost 10 pm at night. In recent years, fire dragons have also danced to nearby Victoria Park and participated in Mid Autumn Festival lantern festivals. The bustling scene, complemented by the lights and moonlight, is even more enchanting, attracting tourists of different skin colors to experience the rich traditional Chinese festival atmosphere. In order to protect and inherit the fire dragon dance culture, the Da Keng Fang Welfare Association has been organizing related activities since 2019, including setting up a small fire dragon youth group to lead young people to understand the Da Keng fire dragon dance culture and craftsmanship, and cultivate more "descendants of dragons". During the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, a small fire dragon, 20 meters long and lit by 10000 LED lights, was dancing by more than 100 children. The 'double dragon sea' of big and small fire dragons allowed the audience to feast their eyes and exclaim in excitement, pushing the atmosphere of the scene to a climax. What is even more exciting is that in 2022, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Cultural Centre was completed, becoming the first exhibition hall in Hong Kong to combine the revitalization of historical buildings with intangible cultural heritage projects, vividly telling the unique traditional customs and stories behind Hong Kong. The lifelike dragon heads and mini models of the "rising dragon" formation in the fire dragon dance displayed in the museum, accompanied by the introduction video played in the museum, instantly bring the audience to the lively scene of the fire dragon flying. The Hong Kong SAR government also spares no effort in protecting and inheriting the precious intangible cultural heritage of dragon dance. Through the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong, it regularly organizes various public education activities, such as allowing inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to personally introduce the history of dragon dance in Tai Hang and the characteristics of dragon making techniques to the public, so that more citizens and tourists can understand the origin, development, and important significance of this ancient custom in the lives of Hong Kong people. As the first intangible cultural heritage list in Hong Kong, the first representative list of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, and a national level intangible cultural heritage project, and located in a core tourist attraction, Dakeng Dance Dragon Dance has become a shining business card of Hong Kong's cultural tourism. This year, the Hong Kong Tourism Development Board not only extended the Huolong route to Causeway Bay Road, but also carried out live broadcast in Victoria Park to share the lively atmosphere of the Mid Autumn Festival both online and offline. Not only in Hong Kong, but also in Guangdong, Hunan and other places, there is a tradition of dancing fire dragons. The dragon is sacred in the eyes of Chinese people. It is a common custom in many parts of the country to pray or celebrate by dancing the dragon. The dance of the fire dragon began with praying for blessings. Nowadays, the centennial fire dragon is becoming more and more joyful in Hong Kong. This is not only due to the unchanged longing of Hong Kong citizens for Mid Autumn Festival reunion and a better life, but also embodies the warm respect and continuous inheritance of traditional culture by the Chinese people. (New Society)