The dragon dance usually involves two dragons, each performed by men and women. [Photo by Wu Shengbin/Xinhua]

Diaolong Dance is one of the traditional dragon dances in China and has been listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritages. The dragon dance usually involves two dragons, each performed by men and women.

Wu Bixun, a 55 year old from Baozeng village of Lejiang town in Longsheng county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has been busy making the dragon to be used in the dance for the upcoming Spring Festival.

Diaolong Dance integrates various kinds of folk arts, spanning handicrafts, painting, cloth art, paper cutting, decals, literature, optics, performance, music, and martial arts. The dragon, using phyllostachys pubescens and wood as its skeleton, applies colored paper and printed cloth as the body. Colored lights are also put inside the dragon. The most difficult part is to make the dragon head, and the whole process of making a dragon may take over one month.

Wu has been fond of making things by hand since childhood and he recovered the techniques of making dragons, which had been lost for over 60 years, by visiting old craftsmen in the village.

"When my father was young, there always used to be Diaolong dance in the village, but soon the craft got lost. This is a cultural tradition of our village, so I decided to recover and inherit it," said Wu.

Now, a growing number of youths in the village have shown interest in the dragon dance and Wu has taken on two apprentices. "I hope more people can appreciate this dance and I am willing to share my experience with them to better inherit this culture," he said.

Wu makes the head of the dragon. [Photo by Wu Shengbin/Xinhua]