The Lion Dance and Dragon Dance, which originated in China, are traditional Chinese folk activities and folk dance forms.

Lion Dance

Lion Dance, also known as Playing Lion, is a traditional sport activity that imitates the movements of lions. In China, people believe that the lion is an auspicious animal and that Lion Dance brings them good luck. Therefore, the Lion Dance will be performed accompanied with sounds of firecrackers and Gongs and drums on the Spring Festival and during ceremonies.

According to textual research, lions in China were originally introduced from West Asia through the “Silk Road”. In Buddhist culture, the lion is the animal ridden by Bodhisattva Manjusri and was introduced to China along with Buddhism, together with the real lion dance performed by the animal.

Since sending lions to China was no easy job and it was accompanied by hardships, very few lions arrived at the final destination. Therefore, the real lion dance was only limited to the imperial palace and wealthy families, and common people never had the chance to see it. Therefore, the folk artists created idealized works of lions through imagination according to records or legends.

The Lion Dance is composed of two styles. South Lion and North Lion. The North Lion type is popular in northern China, while the South type is popular in southern China, especially in Guangdong Province.

Dragon Dance

Dragon dance has its nicknames such as "Run with Dragon Lantern in Hands" or "Dance with Dragon Lantern in Hands.” It is one of a set of activities bearing Chinese national characteristics.

Of all the performers, the ball-holder, the head-holder and the tail-holder are the most important. The ball-holder is akin to a commander, and he must care for the movements of the whole dragon lantern. The head-holder is the core of the lantern, and his movements will influence the coordination of the whole dragon. The tail-holder often has to perform movements such as rolls, prances and so on, but he can not see the movements of others so he can only rely on the regular training and act according to a certain pattern.

Dragon dances existed in the period of Ming and Qing Dynasties. They are usually performed on traditional days such as the Spring Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival accompanied by other activities such as fireworks, monkey performances, tightrope walking and circus performances etc.