Compiled by BENJAMIN LEE and C.ARUNO
SEVERAL dragon dance performers in China were arrested after they beat up two passersby who had touched the dragon’s body, China Press reported.
The troupe was performing on a street in Guangxi last Wednesday when a man, who was holding a child, ran towards the dragon to touch it.
The performers immediately stopped and shoved him to the ground.
Video footage of the incident showed the troupe members forming a circle and raining blows and kicks onto the man and the child.
An eyewitness said police cars and an ambulance arrived shortly.
Members of the troupe were filmed being taken away by police.
According to an Internet user from Binyang county, touching the dragon, including its parts such as the scales and whiskers, is considered taboo in his hometown.
He said that the dragon dance is a noble tradition in Binyang.
“The troupe was trying to protect the dragon. You should never touch or pull it. People visiting the county may not understand this but please follow this rule to prevent any unhappy incidents,” he wrote.
> In another case in China, a man suffered burns on his neck and torso after a stunt gone wrong ignited the firecrackers he had strung around his neck.
China Press reported that he had accidentally hit the firecrackers, causing them to ignite and explode at the same time.
The force from the multiple tiny explosions was enough to send him tumbling to the ground.
A video footage showed him picking up himself while bleeding.
The man was earlier seen swinging a string of lit firecrackers during a street performance.
> Hong Kong actress-singer Shiga Lin is expecting her first child after her marriage to actor Carlos Chan last year, Sin Chew Daily reported.
“This is our best gift for 2024,” she said on social media.
Chan, 37, could not hide his excitement as well.
“I hope he grows up to like Manchester United (like me)!” Chan quipped.
Chan and Lin, 35, started dating after filming the variety show 12 Summers in 2019.
● The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
