Crafting of the Fire Dragon

The Pok Fu Lam Village Fire Dragon Association, formed by local residents, is responsible for the organising and coordinating work. Months before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Association would seek contributions from every household in the village to raise funds to purchase the materials and other items used for the crafting of the dragon. The dragon is traditionally built with hay and bamboo sticks. In recent years, the Association has entered into a partnership with the farmers of Long Valley Wetland in Sheung Shui, the New Territories, by gathering the hay from their paddy fields after harvest as crafting material for the fire dragon. The use of locally produced raw material has enhanced the meaning of this heritage event.

The first part of the modelling work is the bamboo frame of the dragon’s head. The dragon’s mouth, ears, whiskers, nose and eyes are formed by bending the pliable bamboo strips into shape. When the head framework is done, it is wrapped in hay kept firmly in position with wire. The long body is made with layer upon layer of hay twisted on a thick hemp rope, also fixed in position with wire. It takes the residents and voluntary workers about a month to craft the three dragons needed for the activities.

The fire dragon dance is held on both the eve and the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the evening. The dragon used on the eve is mainly for parade purpose within the Pok Fu Lam Village. It is therefore shorter at ten plus metres. The one used on the day of the Festival is about three times long, at thirty metres, which is befitting the scale of the event. The third one is made for display at the entrance of the village, on the night of the festival, for residents and visitors alike to place joss sticks on it and take pictures.