Lanterns set benevolent qilin aglow
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     The enchanting creature known as the Chinese unicorn, or qilin, is one of the four benevolent animals in Chinese culture, along with the dragon, the tortoise and the phoenix. Anyone who has 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 proposed to be added to a list of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage.  To raise the profile of this tradition, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum commissioned local paper-crafting master Kenneth Mo to create three qilin figure sets and a three-metre-high lantern, now on display at the Lantern Carnival at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza.

     In an interview with news.gov.hk, Mo introduces the features of the qilin figure sets and the qilin dancing tradition. The feature appears on news.gov.hk today (February 16) in both text and video format.

Ends/Sunday, February 16, 2014
Issued at HKT 11:12

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