Feeling the burn

First held in 2014, Dragon Burn is an official Burning Man regional event promoting the "10 principles", namely: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy.

At first I wasn't entirely sure what that all meant, other than that I needed to take all my trash with me when I left, and be open to new people and experiences.

The community spirit of the Burn meant I was soon caught up.

People strap metal boxes to their belts to collect their cigarette butts and scan the campsite to pick up any debris, regardless of whether or not it was theirs.

Artists flock from across China to create interactive installations and activities that promote community spirit and the event's core ideas.

Many artworks this year required groups of people working together to activate or experience fully. Some were hidden in the forest, made just barely visible from the main path by their ethereal glow, while others stood many meters tall and lit up the reservoir.

Themed camps put on dozens of workshops to exchange knowledge, insights and experiences, from dancercise and meditation classes, to a cook-off and candle making.