Performers wind a floral dragon around a column at a dock. [Photo by Ma Yabing]

With the migration of Fujian fishermen, Kanmen Floral Dragon, a cloth dragon full of fishing village elements, was introduced to Taizhou. It developed from the original ornamental lantern to objects used in dances such as a floral dragon wound around a column, a floral dragon spelling out letters and a dragon-fish dance, all featuring great jumps and a dragon wound around a column. Fujian locals also called it "rolling the dragon"or "playing the dragon". Winding the Kanmen Floral Dragon around a column on the beach is an endemic folk dance in Kanmen town, Yuhuan, a county-level city of Taizhou. The dance expresses people's wish to have the "dragon" shelter them from winds and storms when they go out to sea to fish and escort them back with a good catch. In May 2011, the Kanmen Floral Dragon was included in China's third representative list of intangible cultural heritage.