Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

The fire dragon of Tai Hang is a rope and straw body over sixty metres long, stuck along its whole length with thousands of burning incense sticks, carried by hundreds of villagers through the narrow streets of Tai Hang on the three nights around the mid-autumn festival, with drums, gongs and a fog of incense smoke. The tradition is said to have begun in 1880 after a plague, and it has been kept up by the same community since, interrupted only by war and by public health closures. It is inscribed on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage. The dragon is assembled each year and the incense is replenished at intervals through the night.

What you actually see

• A sixty-metre incense dragon - straw body covered in burning sticks.
• Hundreds of carriers - the community team that moves it.
• Drums, gongs and smoke - the sound and air of the narrow streets.
• Three nights at mid-autumn - the fixed dates of the festival.

When to go

The three nights around mid-autumn, which falls in September or October depending on the lunar calendar. Two to three hours. Arrive early; streets close and viewing positions fill.

Honest expectations

It happens on three nights a year and not at all otherwise. Crowds are dense and movement is restricted once streets close. Incense smoke is thick and hard on eyes and lungs. Sparks fall, so keep back and mind clothing.

Nearby

Causeway Bay is west; Victoria Park lies north.