The Amazing Jewelry Dragon: A Moving Lantern of Chinese Heritage
Hey there! Have you ever seen a dragon that lights up and moves? 🐲✨ Let me tell you about the incredible Jewelry Dragon from Yueqing, a city in China!
This isn’t just any dragon. The Jewelry Dragon is a spectacular lantern shaped like a dragon and modeled after a fishing boat. It’s huge—about as long as a bus and as tall as a two-story building! That’s around 5 meters long, 3 meters high, and 2 meters wide.
At the front, it has a grand dragon head, and at the back, a magnificent tail. But here’s the coolest part: in the middle, there are several layers of little buildings called pavilions. These pavilions are filled with hundreds of tiny, lifelike figurines! Using a clever system of gears (like the ones in a clock), these figurines move, making the dragon come alive in a magical display.
Every year during the Lantern Festival, which happens in late winter, the people of Yueqing hold amazing parades featuring the Jewelry Dragon. The whole town lights up with lanterns, music fills the air, and everyone celebrates together. It’s a time when people wish for good things like prosperity (doing well in life), harmony (living peacefully), and a great harvest from their farms.
Guess what? The Jewelry Dragon tradition is over 400 years old! That’s older than many countries. Making a Jewelry Dragon is really hard work. It takes many skills like woodworking (crafting things from wood), painting, paper crafting, and lantern making. Because it’s such an important part of Chinese culture, in 2014 it was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list. That means it’s recognized as a treasure that should be protected and celebrated.
Isn’t it amazing how art can bring people together and keep traditions alive for centuries? Next time you see a dragon in a story or a festival, remember the incredible Jewelry Dragon and how it lights up the hearts of people in Yueqing! 🎉
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
