“Come to Muchuan. Come to the Oxygen-rich Resort”. On April 17, the 2023 Muchuan cultural tourism promotional activity made a stage pose in the eastern square of Kuan-Zhai Alley. In the promotional activity, dozens of Muchuan’s characteristic agricultural products came out. Moreover, the “Muchuan straw dragon”, China’s national intangible cultural heritage, made its dance debut which attracted the crowd across the country to take commemorative photos.
More than forty exquisite photographic works in the promotional activity roundly showed the audience Muchuan’s culture, geographic views, customs, scenic spots and typical industries. The “Muchuan straw dragon” dance debut became the biggest highlight of the promotional activity: the “dragon” first circled in the eastern square, subsequently shuttled along the western square, immediately jumped into the Kuan Alley from the Zhai Alley, and finally back to the starting point in the eastern square.The dragon dance was a really visual feast for the audience.
The “Muchuan straw dragon”, which is also called “Yellow Dragon”, is a kind of folk straw woven technique that is popular in Muchuan. It was told that the folk technique originated from a legend that the famous emperor Taizong of Tang was habituated to sleeping on pillows made of straw before he ascended the throne. Consequently, the posterity regards straw-woven dragon-shaped lanterns as an auspicious symbol, and they pray for good weather for the crops and a bumper harvest by waving the “dragon”.