The 2024 Bay Area Cultural Festival has concluded successfully, offering a dazzling array of artistic delights that lit up the cultural sky of the Greater Bay Area like a constellation of stars. Among the many remarkable performances, the original technological show “Lei Hou – DryWood Dragon” produced collaboratively by Vanyee, the Cultural, Sports, and Tourism Office of Changping Town, Changping Town Cultural Service Center, and Hengjiangxia Village, captivated the audience with its unique charm. This performance earned enthusiastic acclaim from both the audience and industry professionals, becoming one of the festival’s major highlights.

As “Lei Hou – DryWood Dragon” took to the stage, the atmosphere was instantly electrified. With its distinctive creativity and masterful performance, the show captured the attention of every viewer.

The theme of “Lei Hou – DryWood Dragon” skillfully merges traditional and modern elements. The “Lei Hou” character, imbued with local cultural charm, transports the audience into the rich and mysterious atmosphere of Lingnan culture, evoking the passion and vitality of this ancient land. The “Drywood Dragon” itself is a powerful cultural symbol, representing the local people’s wishes for good fortune, harmony, and prosperity.

Using contemporary stagecraft, the creative team breathed new life into this traditional cultural symbol. Vibrant lights interwove on stage, creating dreamlike scenes that seemed to awaken the Drought Wooden Dragon from ancient legend, allowing it to radiate fresh vitality in a modern context.

As the music began, the actors portraying the “Divine Hands” appeared, dressed in brightly colored costumes with distinctive Lingnan characteristics. Together, they lifted the exquisitely crafted intangible cultural heritage icon of the wooden dragon, moving it forward with deliberate, steady steps that conveyed its solemnity and grandeur.

The beat of drums and gongs echoed as the Drywood Dragon began to dance, and a spotlight cast its impressive form into sharp relief. As the dragon moved, the lights shifted in color and angle—sometimes glowing golden like the warm sun, symbolizing auspicious blessings, and other times a deep blue, evoking a mysterious and majestic atmosphere. This spectacular scene drew gasps of amazement from the audience.

With over 50 shows in three days, all packed with enthusiastic audiences, “Lei Hou – DryWood Dragon” shone brightly on the festival stage, captivating everyone with its innovative art form and profound cultural significance. Each performance concluded with thunderous applause, as the audience erupted in cheers and praise.

The premiere of “Lei Hou – DryWood Dragon” attracted widespread media attention. Major outlets like Guangdong TV, Dongguan Daily, and Changping Integrated Media sent reporters to cover the event, offering high praise for the performance.

"This show was truly stunning! I never imagined that intangible cultural heritage could be presented in such a way, preserving the essence of tradition while being full of innovation and vitality," an excited audience member shared. Many others expressed that the performance gave them a new understanding and appreciation of Lingnan’s traditional culture, while also revealing the powerful appeal of merging contemporary creative culture with traditional elements.

Ms. Lin Ting (fourth from the right), General Manager of Vanyee and Team Vanyee

An interactive experience area was also set up, where visitors could step onto the stage to closely observe and touch the Drywood Dragon, delving into the heritage’s deeper meaning and value. Through this interactive experience, visitors gained a stronger understanding of the significance of intangible cultural heritage and a greater awareness of the importance of preserving traditional culture.

Behind this boundlessly creative technological showcase was a passionate and imaginative team.

They delved deep into the cultural essence of the DryWood Dragon and, through innovative technology, crafted a uniquely themed performance celebrating intangible heritage. The team hopes that this show will help more people discover and appreciate the DryWood Dragon while promoting the legacy and growth of Chinese traditional culture. Through blending technology with culture, they also aim to offer audiences a brand-new viewing experience, driving forward innovation in the cultural industry.

“I think the concept this time is very intriguing. Building on the original Drywood Dragon, we used 300 colorful film pieces to craft the dragon scales and 50 meters of flexible material to construct the dragon’s frame, extending the dragon to recreate the grandeur of water dragons from centuries ago. Using traditional kite-making techniques combined with lighting effects, we created a dazzling sci-fi dragon. The dragon’s head was outlined with color-changing LED lights, creating a mesmerizing dragon with vibrant color transformations. This new, modern presentation of the traditional Drywood Dragon captures the interest and admiration of younger generations for intangible cultural heritage," shared chief designer Mr. Weng Zebin during the performance setup.

Though the 2024 Bay Area Cultural Festival has drawn to a close, the cultural feast it offered still resonates with audiences “Lei Hou – Drywood Dragon”, as the brightest star on the festival stage, illuminated the importance of preserving and innovating traditional culture in contemporary society.

Looking to the future, we can be confident that the Bay Area’s cultural development will continue to blossom under the influence of remarkable events like this. Outstanding cultural creations such as “Lei Hou – Drywood Dragon” will continue to emerge, bringing joy, wonder, and inspiration to our cultural lives.