Chinese artisan preserves ancient straw dragon craft, creates 28-meter masterpiece

Yu Fangze, an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage craft of weaving straw dragons, and her daughter weave a dragon in Hukou county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)

Yu Fangze, an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of weaving straw dragons, is preserving the ancient tradition in Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province.

His latest creation measures 27.8 meters long and required over 90,000 pieces of straw.

The craft dates back to the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). Traditionally, local farmers made straw dragons to celebrate harvests and pray for good weather.

Yu has been weaving straw dragons for 72 years. His passion began in childhood when he learned techniques from skilled craftsmen, eventually becoming a renowned artisan himself.

Creating a perfectly crafted straw dragon involves at least 12 intricate steps, including carefully selecting glutinous rice straw, bamboo and wood, Yu said.

The most challenging part is making the dragon's skeleton, which has strict angle and size requirements.

Yu has improved the dragon scale-making process by using wheat stalks instead of rice straw for a shinier appearance. A single 28-meter straw dragon requires 1,400 scales, each meticulously crafted from nine uniform wheat stalks.

Yu's straw dragons have been displayed in local museums and featured in major celebrations in Jiangxi Province. His daughter and granddaughter are now recognized as inheritors of the craft, and more than 30 of his apprentices have mastered basic skills for weaving straw dragons.