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A spectacular 67-metre fire dragon crafted with burning incense sticks captivated over a thousand of festival-goers as it was paraded through the streets of Tai Hang tonight (16 September). Set to run for three nights to September 18, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance parade has been supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2010, in collaboration with the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association.

Officiating at the dance’s opening ceremony were Michael Wong, HKSAR Government Deputy Financial Secretary; Michael Lee, Club Chairman; Xue Hui-jun, Director-General of the Hong Kong Island Sub-office of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; and Yuen How-kuen, Chairman of the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association along with other guests.

Michael Lee said the Club was happy to have supported the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance for many years. This includes helping the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association to organise fire dragon dance training for children and young people to foster interest in this cultural heritage activity. In addition, through the Institute of Philanthropy, the Club is co-operating with the Palace Museum in Beijing to promote Chinese culture by restoring and conserving the historic Chengqiangong, organising exhibitions and nurturing talent.

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance was first held in 1880 as an act to ward off a plague that had broken out in the district that year. It has since become customary to stage a fire dragon dance every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival to drive away infectious diseases and to bring good fortune.

The dragon is made of “pearl grass” and is about 67 metres in length. It takes more than 400 people to perform the dance. The ceremony starts with decorating the dragon and stuffing it with burning incense sticks before parading it through the streets of Tai Hang during the evening.

The dance was among the local traditions included on the third national list of intangible cultural heritage activities. In 2019 it was chosen as one of the Remarkable Examples of Good Practice for Safeguarding the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Items.

To foster deeper understanding of traditional customs and their origins among the public, the Club continues to support the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association and the Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage in organising an educational workshop for schools and the wider community.

The Club’s Charities Trust has also provided funding to help preserve two other local festivals on the national heritage list: the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade and the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival.

The Club’s support for these programmes, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities.