Man in China violently assaulted over ‘cultural taboos’ after he helped child pull beard of dragon during traditional festival procession
Touching the dragon is allowed, but not dragging it by beard or scales
Man beaten after almost making head of dragon fall to the ground
Alice Yan
in Shanghai

Published: 9:00am, 29 Feb, 2024



A man in China was beaten because he tried to help a little boy yank on the beard of a dragon prop during a local festival, an action that is considered a cultural taboo.

The centuries-old Cannon Dragon Festival is little known across China but is popular in Binyang county in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region of southern China.

Touching the dragon’s body is considered good luck, but people cannot yank either the beard or the scales.

The attack started when a man was holding a little boy and trying to help the child yank the beard of the dragon, which is usually held up by people carrying wooden sticks while dancing around fireworks.


A struggle involving the man, the child he was carrying and a group of “dragon protectors” ended with the man being badly beaten. Photo: Baidu
A member of the “dragon protection squad” told the man to stop several times but was ignored and became outraged when the man nearly knocked over the dragon’s head.

One of the dragon protectors knocked over the man, who was still carrying the child, and several other men of the team began to kick and beat him.

The police arrived quickly and detained both the dragon protector and the victim.

“The assault case is under investigation and it is not appropriate for me to release more details. We will announce in due course,” an information officer from the county’s government said.

The Cannon Dragon Festival, held on February 20 this year, originated from the Song Dynasty around 1,000 years ago and prospered during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912).

Experts say it is an excellent example of the cultural blending of the Han and Zhuang ethnic groups.

The annual event was included on China’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2008.

The incident has trended on mainland social media, sparking a debate about the protection of traditions.

One online observer wrote: “As a native of Binyang, let me introduce this festival. The dragon dancers will never allow the dragon’s head to drop to the ground because it means bad luck will linger at the location for three years.


The police made arrests at the scene and are still investigating to find out if criminal charges are necessary. Photo: Baidu
“This is our belief as Binyang people. You cannot drag the dragon’s head!”

But others thought the beating went too far.

“It’s not right to resort to violence, plus he was holding a child. It’s not good for the kid,” said one person.

“Why not dispatch police officers to safeguard order at the site? They are more professional,” another said.
Everyone here knows that pulling the beard of a dragon or lion is insulting, right? Right?