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Propitious moves: Qilin dancing is arranged at festivals as a celestial blessing, to bring peace, luck, protection, success and longevity to festival goers.

Lucky charms: The Hakka qilin has eight symbols known as trigrams on its horn, and cow-like ears. Symbols of wealth and good fortune, such as gold coins and a peony, are drawn on its face.

Home made: Local paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo stresses that all his paper masterpieces are crafted in Hong Kong.

Oversized artworks: Master Mo has much experience making giant lanterns, but this was the first time he created gigantic qilins.

Cavorting creature: Qilin dance movements are characterised by fast, powerful strokes of the head, with an emphasis on criss-cross steps and swift turns of the body at a low level.

Propitious moves Lucky charms Home made Oversized artworks Cavorting creature

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Lanterns set benevolent qilin aglow

February 16, 2014

The enchanting creature known as the Chinese unicorn, or qilin, is one of the four benevolent animals in Chinese culture, along with the dragon, tortoise and phoenix. Anyone who’s ever been to China, or a Chinatown, is likely to be familiar with lion dancing, but qilin dancing is more low key. Some New Territories villagers keep this tradition alive during festivals, celebrations or weddings.

Qilin dancing was recently recognised as being part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage. To raise its profile, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum commissioned local paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo to create three qilin figure sets and a three-meter-high lantern, now on display at the Lantern Carnival at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza until February 23.

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Voiceover:
New Territories villagers keep alive the tradition of Chinese unicorn dancing, also known as qilin dancing.

Paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo (Translation):
Dongguan-style qilin dancing is arranged during Chinese New Year, for rituals, and on important gods’ birth dates. Hakka-style qilin dancing is also arranged for another special occasion – weddings. The bridegroom will visit the bride’s home to bring her back to his, accompanied by qilin dancing.

Voiceover:
Kenneth Mo grew up in Kwu Tung Village in Sheung Shui, where he was introduced to qilin at an early age. He grew fond of the tradition, and followed a master to learn qilin dancing at the age of 19. He later studied the paper crafting techniques under another master, to learn to create the qilin dancing sets. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum invited Mo to create three qilin figure sets - Hakka, Dongguan and Hailufeng-style - now on display as part of the Lantern Carnival at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza.

Paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo (Translation):
The Hakka style Chinese unicorn is generally white with many gold coins on its face. Dongguan-style unicorns’ key colours are red and green, with drawings of fish and phoenixes on it. Hailufeng-style unicorns are usually green and blue, with a white horn on its head. There are many good-luck symbols on the qilin. So, qilin dancing will bring us good fortune.

Voiceover:
For the displays, Mo created oversize qilin sets. Each head is about two meters high and the body is four meters long, twice the size of a normal set used for dancing. Mo took two and half months to finish the set of three qilin dancing sets and an accompanying traditional lantern.

Paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo (Translation):
The most difficult part was to ensure the enlarged qilin figures had the same look as the original sized ones that we normally see in the qilin dance.

Voiceover:
The qilin, dragon, phoenix and tortoise are known as the four benevolent animals in Chinese culture. The qilin’s head is like a dragon’s while its body is like a horse’s. Since ancient times, qilin has been a good luck symbol, believed to be able to bring a baby boy to a family. According to Chinese legends, dragons and qilins are benevolent animals in the sky. They rank higher than the lion that lives on the ground. Though similar, a qilin dance is quite different from a lion dance.

Paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo (Translation):
The qilin is said to be a hoofed animal while a lion has claws. So a lion can climb on poles while dancing, but a qilin can’t.

Voiceover:
Qilin dancing and traditional paper crafting techniques were recognised as being part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage. Qilin dancing is also inscribed onto China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage. Master Mo hopes the next generation will embrace the qilin tradition and paper crafting technique so that it will live on.

Paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo (Translation):
People in this field are required to continue to work hard and devote themselves, regardless of poor pay and reward. With my friend’s support, I will continue this work until the day I am no longer able.

Mo grew up in Kwu Tong Village in Sheung Shui, where he was introduced to qilin at an early age. He grew fond of the tradition, and followed a master to learn qilin dancing at the age of 19. When his master asked him to learn to repair the worn out qilin head crafted from paper, he took up that art under another master’s tutelage. Practice makes perfect, and after more than two decades, he has mastered the paper-crafting art.

Colourful craft
The three sets of qilin dancing figures he created reflect different regional styles - Hakka, Dongguan and Hailufeng. They share bold colours, but each has easily recognisable, stand-out features on their heads.

The Hakka qilin has eight symbols known as trigrams on its horn, and cow-like ears. Symbols of wealth and good fortune, such as gold coins and a peony, are drawn on its face.

The Dongguan qilin’s key colours are red and green, with drawings of a phoenix and carp on its head. The Hailufeng qilin has a green face and a white horn that is much bigger than that of the other two. It is curved and prominent, with the image of the Eight Immortals drawn on its forehead.

Oversized artworks
The project’s size was daunting: Mo took nearly three months to finish the works, with each qilin figure set standing about four meters high and four meters in length - twice the size of a normal set used for dancing.

“This was the first time I had created such a big paper-crafted qilin, so the difficulty was to ensure the enlarged qilin figures had the same look as the original sized ones that we normally see in the qilin dance,” Mo said.

His paper crafted products are all made in Hong Kong, he stresses.

“I believe the traditions of qilin dancing and paper-crafting techniques will not disappear in Hong Kong. But it will require the people in this field to continue to work hard and devote themselves, regardless of poor pay and reward. I will continue working until one day I can’t anymore.”

Fertility symbol
Chinese legend says a qilin appears at the birth of a sage, and that one materialised at the birth of renowned Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius. The legendary creature is also a symbol of fertility, and believed to be able to bring a baby boy to a family. Little wonder Hakka people will arrange a qilin dance on the wedding day when the bridegroom visits the bride’s home and brings her back to his.

Qilin dancing is arranged at festivals as a celestial blessing, to bring peace, luck, protection, success and longevity to festival goers. Two performers control the qilin’s head and body. Unlike lion dancing, qilin dance movements are characterised by fast, powerful strokes of the head, with an emphasis on criss-cross steps and swift turns of the body at a low level. There are no high jumps to circular platforms raised on poles.

Qilin dancing has been inscribed onto China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage. It is now included in the draft inventory of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage, organised by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department.

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Lanterns set benevolent qilin aglow

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