Thrilling Fire Dragon Dance At Taiwan' S Lantern Festival

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) -- The locals in Taiwan’s Nantou County were awed by folk artists performing the dragon dance amid sparkles during the lantern festival, at Piaosha Square. The dramatic show featured two fire dragons dancing under a shower of sparks, while the performers splashed molten iron in the air. Amid molten iron sparks, fireworks and music, the two fire dragons danced around with diverse gestures to offer new year blessings to the audience. Invited by the local authorities, China’s Chongqing municipality and its Tongliang district led folk artists to stage six performances to mark the traditional festival with the local people, according to the Publicity Department, Tongliang District of Chongqing. Last year, Tongliang’s fire dragon dance team also came to Taiwan, drawing over 170,000 people. As the dance in Tongliang was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006 and one of the municipal city’s ten most representative cultural symbols, it is renowned as China’s No 1 dragon dance. Head of the Tongliang delegation invited global travellers to have a trip to the 1,000-year-old town of Anju in Tongliang district to experience authentic Sichuan and Chongqing culture and heritage, besides beautiful natural views of mountains and rivers. -- BERNAMA