Visitors admire the Yueqing jewelry dragon at a lantern show in Yueqing, a county-level city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province. [Photo/wzrb.com.cn]
Yueqing, a county-level city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, is famous for its folk art and unique dragon culture. Various dragon-related activities and displays are being held there in celebration of the Year of the Dragon.
One of the highlights is the Yueqing jewelry dragon, a national intangible cultural heritage item. It is a 6-meter-long dragon with four layers of pavilions and towers, containing more than 80 folk plays.
The production process for the Yueqing jewelry dragon combines woodworking, metalworking, oil painting, and paper-cutting. When shaking the handle, more than 300 little people in the dragon come to life. The dragon also contains fine paper-cut decorations by Lin Bangdong, another national intangible cultural heritage item inheritor.
Another highlight is the Yueqing longdang or Yueqing bench dragon, a 32-meter-long dragon divided into 18 sections, painted in gold and a variety of other colors. It features elements of dragons and historical stories. It was carved by Chen Jianyong, who spent more than 400 days working on it. He also added a hand-pushing wheel to make it easier to carry.
