The longer the dragon, the more luck it will bring to the community. As a result, communities strive to have very long dragons dancing during the New Year. Some dragons are so long that they require twenty or thirty people to hold up the tail.

Over 2,000 years, the dragon has turned from a symbol of a deity, the emperor and imperial power into a symbol of the Chinese nation. The Dragon Dance, accordingly, has been elevated from asking the gods for rain to expressing people's courage, pride and wisdom.

The dragons are made into different forms, such as the cloth dragon, grass dragon, fire dragon, bamboo dragon,paperdragon, and wooden-stool dragon. The dance accordingly has diversified models and forms.

The cloth dragon has a separate dragon head and body, which are connected by cloth. The longer the dragon is, the more performers there are. One person uses a pearl-like prop to lead the dragon. The dragon will rise or fall, slowly or rapidly. Sometimes, it flies up to the sky, and sometimes it hides under the ocean and breaking waves.

The fire dragon is made with candles put into each section of the dragon body. When performed at night, firecrackers are set off. It makes an excellent scene of the fire dragon shuttling back and forth among the fireworks.

The grass dragon, also called the 'burning incense dragon', is made from rice straw and green vines, with sticks of burning incense inserted into it. Performed during summer nights, the dragon is like a meteor attracting a lot of insects. When the performance is over, the dragon is put into a pool to drown the insects. Therefore, performing with the grass dragon helps get rid of insects.

Drums, cymbals and gongs are parts of the dragon dance. The drummer acts as a conductor and sets the rhythm for the other instrument players to follow. As the drummer beats faster, the ensemble also beats faster and louder. Drum-rolls and gongs may be heard from New Year's Day all the way to the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Ⅰ Tongliang Dragon Dance Declarer: Chongqing Municipality

The Tongliang Dragon Dance, popular in Tongliang County, Chongqing Municipality, formed in theMing Dynasty(1368-1644) and was very popular during theQing Dynasty(1644-1911). It has two series: the dragon lantern dance and the colored lantern dance, which have 10 and 12 types respectively, most of which need urgent protection and salvation.

Ⅱ Zhanjiang Human-Dragon Dance Declarer: Zhanjiang City,Guangdong Province

The Human-Dragon Dance popular on Donghai Island, Zhanjiang City, is renowned as the 'one unsurpassed feat of the Orient'. The performers, usually consisting of several dozen to hundreds of young men with only shorts on, make up a "gigantic dragon" with their half naked bodies. It's quite a grand scene when the human-dragon dances to the passionate and bright tempo of gongs and drums. The local people invented the dance at the end of the Ming Dynasty, to invigorate the frustrated Ming army who retreated to theLeizhouPeninsula. The dance was prevalent during the Qing Dynasty, blending various customs in the unique performance, such as entertaining the dragon, paying homage to the dragon, sacrificing to the sea, honoring the ancestors, and worshiping the God.