Sun Loong Imperial Dragon

Sun Loong, the Imperial Dragon replaced the old Loong in the Bendigo Easter Procession in 1970. Made in the traditional Ching style in the work shops of dragon maker Lo On who had learned his trade in Canton

He is 100mt long and his head is more than 2 mts high. He is covered by 6000 silk scales, each scale decorated with 23 tiny hand-cut mirrors of which there are over 90,000 and white rabbit fur, Chinese bells, beads & hundreds of yards of tasselled silk skirting make up his body.

Sun Loong arrived in Bendigo accompanied by new banners and Lions, courtesy of Qantas just in time for Easter Fair of 1970. The 101 year old James Lew brought Sun Loong to life by dotting his eyes with “ chicken blood “ He used red paper to touch Sun Loong’s eyes and he quietly muttered an incantation as exploding firecrackers frightened away evil spirits. A young spry dragon was thus made ready to join the Easter Procession.