Three generations keep traditional lion dance alive

A family's three generations practice the horse stance, one of the basic skills to master when learning the lion dance. Liu Baoqing (right) is 60 years old, his son, Liu Xu (left) is 33 and grandson Liu Yiqun is 11. [Photo/IC]

Liu Baoqun began practicing the lion dance 17 years ago. He influenced his son, who gradually got involved in picking up the skills necessary for the traditional dance. Yiqun started practicing the lion dance six years ago.

The trio has performed thousands of times in public. They said that they want to improve their skills so as to better pass on the folk art to future generations. Now they are willing to teach anyone interested in the lion dance for free, in an effort to preserve the tradition.