Art-Making Activity: Chinese Paper Lion
Create a Chinese paper lion that celebrates the traditional Lion Dance of China, which is performed at important festivals such as the Lunar New Year and thought to bring good luck and happiness.
Overview
In many cultures, dance is considered a form of expression, communication, ceremony, and entertainment. This activity highlights the the Lion Dance, which is a traditional folk dance in China, dating back thousands of years! To perform a Lion Dance, two people collaborate inside a lion costume – one operating the head, and the other the tail. The costume is traditionally made of papier-mâché over a bamboo frame, but is now often constructed of modern materials such as aluminum. The movements of the dance are derived from the same movements found in Chinese martial arts such as Kung Fu. Performers of the Lion Dance must be very skilled, moving in conjunction with various percussion instruments.
At VMFA the Choy Wun Dance Troupe performed the Lion Dance at the event Chinafest 2023: Year of the Water Rabbit. See images of that performance below and look closely at the types of movement, musical instruments and costume you notice.
Consider the following questions:
- How do you think the two performers inside each lion costume move to imitate a lion?
- Imagine you can hear the sound of beating drums and clashing cymbals – what effect would this music have on the performance?
- How would you describe the lion costume to a friend?
To watch a performance of the Lion Dance and learn more about its connection to the Lunar New year, visit this video from the Boston Children’s Museum.
Follow the steps below to create your own Chinese paper lion that celebrates the traditional Lion Dance of China!
CREATE
Materials:
- Lion template
- Markers/Colored Pencils/Crayons
- Scissors
- Plastic straw
- Tape
- Optional: Glue stick, tissue paper
Instructions:
Collection Connection
Did you know that lions are not native to China? Lions were likely brought to China by foreign embassies via the Silk Road, which is how lion imagery came to be an important part of the cultural history. See more representations of lions in VMFA’s East Asian collection!
