Wu Jiarong makes the head and tail of a bench dragon for the Lantern Festival. [Photo/Tide News]

As the Lantern Festival approaches, the "bench dragon" from Yingchuan town in Jingning She autonomous county, Lishui, Zhejiang province is about to dance.

The traditional custom of dragon dancing during the Lantern Festival has a history of several hundred years in Yingchuan town. Every year, villagers wave carefully crafted bench dragons to celebrate the festival, praying for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest in the new year.

This year's dragon, composed of 200 wooden benches, will parade into the county seat of Jingning. After assembling at a square, a team will move the dragon in an "S" shape, a straight line, and a wave-like pattern before performing an "O"-shaped dragon dance at the ancient town of She ethnic group, presenting a visual feast for citizens.

In recent days, 63-year-old Wu Jiarong has been busy making the bench dragon, eager to add the charm of intangible cultural heritage to the Lantern Festival. He is a representative inheritor of the bench dragon intangible cultural heritage project in Jingning.

Wu has been hard at work on the dragon for over a month. He carefully selected materials including wood, bamboo strips, and bark paper, meticulously polishing every detail to ensure the best effect.

With his skillful technique, over 3,000 bamboo strips were ingeniously assembled into the form of the dragon's head and tail. After pasting paper, painting dragon scales, and installing colored lights, the lifelike dragon gradually took shape.

This year, the dragon made by Wu is going to the whole county, allowing more people to experience its charm.