China News Service, Huzhou, February 4th (Hu Fengsheng and Huang Yanjun) It is cold in winter, but the atmosphere in Jin'eshan Village, Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province is fiery. With a "dong" and the sound of gongs and drums, Alen Mathew (Chinese name "") from India Allen") and Onyia Uchenna Emmanuel (Chinese name "Ou Chen") from Nigeria, supported the "dragon body" position one after another, danced the mulberry leaf dragon in their hands to the rhythm of the drums, and joined hands with the students from Huzhou Technician College The students cooperated tacitly and completed their first experience of dragon dance.
Allen and Ou Chen experience dragon dance. Photo by Hu Fengsheng
"Dragon dancing is a difficult physical activity." After the experience, Allen, breathless, felt a little emotional. He felt very honored to be able to participate and experience Chinese culture.
"Dragon" is as its name suggests. The scales of the mulberry leaf dragon are shaped like mulberry leaves, and the whole body is green, expressing the Jiangnan people's expectations for a good harvest of sericulture. The reporter learned that the Deqing Mulberry Leaf Dragon was designed by Tong Baosong, the inheritor of Zhejiang intangible cultural heritage. It has appeared on the opening ceremony stage of the 4th Asian Paralympic Games in Hangzhou and appeared at the 2024 China Central Radio and Television Station New Year’s Eve Party. This mulberry tree is full of beautiful yearnings. Ye Long, at this moment, carries the friendship that spans generations and national boundaries.
The upcoming Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon is the first Chinese Spring Festival for Ou Chen, a freshman at Zhejiang University of Technology (Moganshan Campus), and he is full of expectations. "I know that the new year is the year of the dragon, and the dragon symbolizes greatness and greatness in China." Ou Chen said.
In the past, you could only see dragon dance performances in YouTube videos, but now you can experience them in person. Jiangnan villages, dragon dances, Spring Festival customs... everything made Ou Chen feel novel. During the dragon dance master's demonstration, he had already taken out his mobile phone and watched the whole process. Follow up and record.
When talking about Chinese traditional customs, Ou Chen was deeply impressed by the food. He has a special liking for cakes and noodles, while his roommate likes dumplings. He hopes to unlock more Chinese food in the future.
"During the Spring Festival holiday, I plan to go to Hangzhou with my friends to visit the West Lake and experience the Chinese Spring Festival." Ou Chen said that in his impression, Hangzhou is a great city. In the future, Ou Chen, who studies chemical engineering, plans to continue his postgraduate studies in China. The infinite scenery of China and Zhejiang is waiting for him to explore.
Unlike Ou Chen, who is a "new arrival", Allen, a "post-00s generation", has been in China for seven years. He has a good understanding of Chinese Spring Festival customs and zodiac culture. "The Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon is coming soon." Allen said without hesitation that he was born in 2003 and according to the Chinese zodiac is Sheep.
Allen's experience in China is not only a story of study, but also a sense of family affection and reunion. Allen said that his family all live in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. During the Spring Festival, he will go back to have a reunion dinner with his family. "We will also follow some traditional Chinese customs, such as giving out red envelopes." Allen shared with reporters about his home The flavor of the new year.
After the dragon dance performance, Ou Chen was surrounded by students from Huzhou Technician College and "showed off" his basketball skills to them. Allen took pictures with his classmates on the side. The smiles on everyone's faces were stretched and bright, like a group of old friends.
Allen takes a photo with his classmates from Huzhou Technician College. Photo by Huang Yanjun
As winter turns to spring, the flavor of the new year is not just an external symbol, but also a shared emotion, perhaps a hope for a good harvest, an expectation for the future, or a reunion or a family banquet. The people who became associated with the dragon gave this northern Zhejiang village and rural folk customs a new lease of life. (over)