Lion dancing is the fierce flame that burns inside my heart

32-year-old Hu Zhiqiang is the leader of a lion and dragon dance performing group. Originally from east China’s Anhui Province, Hu has been doing lion and dragon dance performances for 14 years. Hu’s dream of becoming a lion and dragon dance performer started in 2008 when he became a volunteer at the Beijing Olympics. Hu saw a lion and dragon dancing team rehearsing at the National Stadium (the Bird’s Nest), which ignited his dream of becoming a performer. After thorough consideration, he decided to move to south China’s Guangdong Province to learn the necessary skills to become a lion and dragon dancer.

Against all odds, Hu recruited seven team members and created his own performance team after he returned to Beijing. Though the team had at one point a peak of 24 members, currently there are only a few members remaining. In addition, the team members have had to take part-time jobs in order to make ends meet due to the fact that most of the team’s performances have been cancelled due to the pandemic. However, Hu persists in following his dream because of his fondness for this particular martial art-style performance. “Every time when I hear the beat of the drum, I feel a burning passion inside me, which has been my biggest motivation for organizing this group,” said Hu.