A spectacular, 50-metres long Chinese dancing dragon created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1999 has been donated to the Western Australian Museum by the Chung Wah Association.

Museum CEO Alec Coles said the Dragon is a welcome addition to the State Museum’s Collection, and is the second culturally significant object donated by the Chung Wah Association in recent years.

“In 1999, the Chung Wah Association generously donated an historic 1913 ‘Confucius’ banner and the Museum is equally honoured to accept this second remarkable artefact,” Mr Coles said. Acting Consul General Ms Jin Qian and Consul He Yi Fan from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Perth attended the handover ceremony at the WA Museum. Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Qian explained the significance of the Dragon in Chinese Culture.

“The Dragon is symbolic in several ways: it signifies an important aspect of Chinese culture, WA’s global relationships, and a monumental historical event in the establishment of the People’s Republic of China,” Ms Qian said.

Ceremony guests included Ms Helene Fung, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the Dragon’s first performance, and Mr Gawain Siu who was the first team leader to perform the Dragon in 1999.

Chung Wah Association President Ding Shao Ping said the words embossed in Mandarin on the right side of the 50-metre long dragon read ‘Celebrating 50 years of the People’s Republic of China’. It was presented to the Association in 1999 and made available for performances to members of the Chinese community.

“The Association accepted the Dragon from the Chinese Foreign Affairs Office on behalf of the Chinese community of Western Australia,” Mr Ding said.

“To our knowledge it is the largest Chinese dancing dragon in WA, second only to the 100-metre long dragon in Bendigo which is believed to be the longest in the world.”

Mr Ding said the dancing dragon is associated with many traits in Chinese culture including luck, prosperity, dignity, and power.

“The dragon's length is also a representation of the abundance bestowed on a community during festivities. We are therefore pleased to bequeath this precious artefact to the care and conservation of the WA Museum for future generations,” Mr Ding said.

 

Media contact:
Flora Perrella
Media and Communications
Western Australian Museum