Maggie with her dragon-themed creations for the Lunar New Year. — Photos: THOMAS YONG and YEE XIANG YUN/The Star
Decorations and artworks inspired by the Year of the Dragon are igniting imaginations and evoking amazement.
Artisan Maggie Tan, 51, said she had her hands full with commissions for customised ang pow packets and decorative items featuring the mythical creature.
“Orders for the items have been coming in since December last year and I make them at my workshop-cum-retail shop in Taman Johor Jaya in Johor Baru.
“I have made and sold more than 400 fabric ang pow packets so far.
“They are designed to look like a dragon’s head complete with whiskers.
“The button that fastens the ang pow packet is positioned as the dragon’s snout,” she told StarMetro.
She said the items had sold out.
Lau says his studios have been booked for photo shoots before and after Lunar New Year.
To make the packets, Maggie used fabrics imported from Taiwan such as those with cartoon dragon prints, large peony flower patterns as well as those with Chinese calligraphy designs.
“With the same fabrics, I make tissue box covers and little bags that are handy for carrying mandarin oranges when going for open houses,” said Maggie, who has been selling handmade items for 10 years.
“As the dragon is an important and significant symbol in Chinese culture, I decided to try something new this year by making dragon heads with pipe cleaners,” she said.
She added that she would do a rough sketch of the design before twisting the coloured pipe cleaners and arranging them in place.
One of her creations was a dragon head made from pastel- coloured pipe cleaners to give it a softer and cuter look, while another was a miniature version of a lion head (the kind used in lion dances) with a scroll bearing Chinese calligraphy hanging from its mouth.
“I have been interested in Chinese calligraphy since I was in Year One because I had a patient teacher.
“I am glad that I can include traditional art in my handmade products to give it added value,” Maggie said.
Initially, she was not interested in sewing and didn’t even know how to use a sewing machine.
“Before I married, my mother wanted to give me a sewing machine as dowry but I refused because I was not interested in mending or making clothes,” she said.
When her eldest sister wanted to dispose of an old sewing machine, Maggie decided to give it a try, just for fun.
“I had to ask her how to thread the needle and I started out sewing together cloth scraps.
“Then, I realised I could make bags. After trial and error, my skills improved and I started to source for material in Singapore, China and Taiwan.
“It was a leap of faith to open my own shop,” she said.
Maggie handles all the orders. Recently, her daughter, a fashion design graduate, joined her and started designing clothing such as T-shirts and cheongsam.
Visitors at the year of the dragon exhibition in Southern UniversityCollege in Skudai.
Chinese calligraphy
With the advent of the Chinese New Year, calligraphy couplets have been in high demand, said Sam Cheah, 63, a Chinese brush painter and calligrapher with over 20 years of experience.
He said the dragon had always been perceived as a majestic creature, symbolising power, leadership and stability, making it the most sought-after animal among the 12 Chinese zodiac characters.
“I have received many requests to write the Chinese character ‘fu’ (meaning ‘good luck’).
“I substituted some of the brush strokes with dragon features to depict its wavy body, horns and whiskers.
“This is a creative yet meaningful way of incorporating the dragon into auspicious calligraphy.
“As Chinese calligraphers, we usually include Chinese zodiac signs into our work but the demand for dragon-themed pieces this year has been much higher compared to previous years,” he said.
Cheah said he and his peers at Johor Baru Hokkien Huay Kuan (Hokkien association) also wrote at least 6,000 pairs of Chinese New Year couplets for the festive season.
The activity took months to complete and the couplets were distributed to schools, non-governmental organisations and the public for charity, he said.
“Many of the couplets, also known as chun lian, have auspicious dragon-related phrases in hopes that they would bring good luck to the family that hangs them up at home.
“I have also received requests from soon-to-wed couples who want dragon-related couplets to display in their new homes,” Cheah said.
Preference for ‘dragon’ babies
Many couples are choosing to get married during the Year of the Dragon as it is believed to be an auspicious time.
Bridal and photography studio owner Lau Sen Keong said this year, his studio had been booked before and after the Chinese New Year period, with significantly more bookings compared to those of last year.
“Couples looking to tie the knot are hoping the Year of the Dragon will bring auspiciousness and longevity to their relationships.
“My studios in Taman Century and Taman Sri Tebrau are near the Causeway, and more than half of my customers are from Singapore,” he said, adding that the outlets were usually packed on weekends.
Besides an increase in bookings for bridal gowns, Lau, 48, said he also received a significant number of reservations for maternity photo shoots this year compared to the previous year.
Born in the Year of the Dragon himself, Lau said, “It is widely believed that babies born in the Year of the Dragon will be blessed with good luck and fortune.
“This could be a factor that influenced many couples to have children this year.
“There has been at least a 50% increase for maternity photo shoot bookings at my studios.”
Cheah transforming brush strokes into dragon features.
Surge in demand
Dragon dance troupes in Johor Baru expect to be busy during the lunar new year period as bookings for their services began as early as December last year.
Hua Tiong Wushu Club dragon dance team leader Wong Yeet Khan said the troupe had up to 18 performances per day.
“There has been an increase in bookings for us to perform at business premises, factories and offices, besides reservations by residential homeowners.
Wong says his troupe’s schedule is packed with up to 18 performances a day.“We have three types of dragons, including our luminous dragon which comes ‘alive’ in the dark.
“This is popular among our customers, especially for performances at residential areas and company banquets held indoors,” he said.
Wong said the troupe currently had about 20 active members and previous members were recalled to bring the number to 30 for festive performances.
“Although the performance lasts about 10 minutes, a lot of preparation and training is required to achieve perfect synchronisation among performers.
“Each performance requires 16 individuals, including nine manning the dragon’s body and one holding the pearl to guide the dragon, in addition to the musicians,” he said.
The troupe trained twice a week from 8.30pm until 10pm, said Wong.
Johor Baru Na Tok Kong Dragon Dance Association deputy chairman Lim Chong Meng said bookings had increased by about 40% this year with customers willing to pay between RM1,000 and RM5,000 for each performance.
“We are fully booked on weekends and auspicious days such as the first, seventh, eighth, ninth and 15th day of Chinese New Year.
“Many businesses want us to perform on the day they resume operations after the festive break, in hopes that the dragon would bring them more luck and fortune.
“On certain days, our team will be performing from as early as 8.30am until midnight at various locations,” said Lim.
Lim says bookings have increased by about 40% this year and customers are willing to pay up to RM5,000 for each performance.
Depicting the dragon
More than 50 dragon-themed works of art produced by local artists are on display at the Southern University College Tan Sri Datuk JC Chang Museum and Art Gallery throughout the Chinese New Year festive period (see sidebar).
The gallery’s curator Tan Chai Puan said the Year of the Dragon exhibition is until Feb 23, with free entry.
“The dragon is undoubtedly the most revered among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs,” said Chai Puan.
“In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon not only represents nobility, honour and prosperity, it has also inspired architecture and the arts.
“The public are encouraged to visit the exhibition and see the artists’ depictions of the dragon whether through paintings or Chinese calligraphy,” Chai Puan said.
The gallery is open from Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 4pm.
It will be closed during the Chinese New Year holidays. For details, call 07-554 3466.
