Mi Loong: a thousand-year-old rice dragon tradition

Xindian town of Fuzhou city, Fujian province, held its 2025 Intangible Cultural Heritage show on Monday, featuring a spectacular loong display made of rice.

The Mi Loong, or Rice Dragon, drew large crowds at the event, which also featured song and dance performances, traditional folk customs, and a New Year's fair. The various festivities were inspired by Fuzhou's storied cultural legacy.

The impressive Mi Loong structure was made from over 1,000 kilograms of rice. The Mi Loong tradition is one thousand years old, and its roots trace back to Xiyuan village in Xindian town. It was recognized as part of the fourth batch of intangible cultural heritage in the district.

Wu Kunlong, the inheritor of the tradition, explained that the event included several rituals such as expressing gratitude, adding rice for fortune, recitation, decorating the loong and donating rice. These activities are meant as prayers for a bountiful harvest and peace in the coming year.

The celebrations began with a lively dragon dance, followed by a Sichuan Opera face-changing performance and other traditional dances.

Besides watching the performances, visitors could join various interactive intangible cultural heritage projects, such as cork carving, traditional meatball-making and Xindian waist drumming.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.