On the evening when people bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, a"golden dragon" rises on the water. At festive times, Yulong Village in Baisha town, Yangshuo county, Guilin, stages a grand Golden Dragon Parade.       

A signature folk event of Yangshuo, the Golden Dragon Parade embodies the characteristic nightscape of fishing boats aglow on the Lijiang River. As night falls, nearly a hundred bamboo rafts are linked end to end, their lights igniting in sequence to form a sinuous "golden dragon." With villagers and rafters moving in unison, it glides like a living dragon through the scenic landscape, its lights blending with reflections to create a dazzling river of stars. Amid resounding gongs and drums, cheers and camera clicks echo from both banks, evoking the image of people traveling through a living painting while the dragon dances within the scenery.

Golden Dragon Parade (Photo by Xia Lihui)