Fabulously energetic lion dance in one of the temples in Fo Shan (Fat Shan) in Guandong province, up river from Macau. The men doing these dance are unusually athletic which is why they're so fast and have such stamina. Look how they leap up the tables and hold each other aloft! And the lion movements are so cute - like when it "wipes" its eyes. Fo Shan is where the great Kung Fu masters of the past came from, so there's a tradition there of ultra-fit young men for whom this is minor recreation. Fo Shan is also centre of the Shih wan pottery industry, where figures are glazed only on the clothes, not the head and hands. These are still mass produced today, but in the past there were collectors pieces made by artists, All round South China, these figures are used as roof decorations in temples. So it's rather apt that this dance takes place in a temple.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
athletic Fo Shan Lion Dance
Fabulously energetic lion dance in one of the temples in Fo Shan (Fat Shan) in Guandong province, up river from Macau. The men doing these dance are unusually athletic which is why they're so fast and have such stamina. Look how they leap up the tables and hold each other aloft! And the lion movements are so cute - like when it "wipes" its eyes. Fo Shan is where the great Kung Fu masters of the past came from, so there's a tradition there of ultra-fit young men for whom this is minor recreation. Fo Shan is also centre of the Shih wan pottery industry, where figures are glazed only on the clothes, not the head and hands. These are still mass produced today, but in the past there were collectors pieces made by artists, All round South China, these figures are used as roof decorations in temples. So it's rather apt that this dance takes place in a temple.
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