Where lions and dragons come alive
Lion and dragon dances remain a quintessential element of Chinese New Year celebrations as they are believed to usher in good luck.

Every year during this festive period, master craftsman Siow Ho Phiew, 69, and his workers are kept busy fulfilling 200 to 400 orders for lion and dragon heads.

He has been making them at Wan Seng Hang Dragon & Lion Arts workshop in Bandar Pinggiran Subang, Shah Alam, Selangor since 1984.

Siow showing how to move a dragon head.

Siow said customers paid between RM1,000 and RM4,000 per head depending on the complexity of the work required.

A head could take between seven and 10 days to build or even longer, especially if it is to be used in competitions.

Worker Lee Kam Soon, 47, shaping the rattan and binding them with adhesive tape to form the frame of a lion head.

Siow’s workshop produces two types of lion heads, namely Fut San and Hok San, both designs originating from Guangdong province in southern China.

Fut San has a pointed horn and curved mouth while Hok San has a rounded horn and straight mouth.

Worker Wong Chee Wah, 42, painting a lion head.

The process begins by feeding rattan stems through a cutting tool to produce slimmer pieces that are marked for an assembler to bend and secure with adhesive tape, thus forming the basic frame of the head.

Siow touching up a lion head at his workshop in Shah Alam. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

Rattan is the favoured material over the traditional bamboo due to its lightness and flexibility as it does not snap like bamboo.

Once the basic shape is completed and the horn is attached, layers of bamboo paper and a gauze-like material are applied to the frame to strengthen it. This is then followed by a third layer of resin that becomes the base decorative layer.

Finished heads stacked up at the workshop.

Only when the painting process is completed and sealed with a layer of lacquer for a glossy look and as protection against moisture, can the moving parts like eyelids, ears and mouth be attached along with a mirror that is believed to ward off evil spirits.
lion dance
Lion and dragon dances remain a quintessential element of Chinese New Year celebrations as they are believed to usher in good luck.