Photographer Derry Ainsworth on chasing Hong Kong’s fire dragons

The origins of one of Hong Kong’s most enthralling and enduring traditions, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, go back to 1880.

According to stories passed down through generations, a snake was found to be wiping out the livestock in Tai Hang village shortly before the Mid-Autumn Festival. After villagers killed it, however, a plague broke out and claimed many lives.

The villagers thought it was retribution for killing the snake, which they believed was the son of the Dragon King. They were advised by a village elder – who claimed that the goddess Guan Yin had come to him in a dream – to perform a fire dragon dance to end the plague. 

As the story goes, the plague disappeared and the fire dragon dance continued year after year – a tradition that has endured as an annual blessing for peace, safety and well-being.

More than a century later, British photographer Derry Ainsworth sees far more than the 67m-long dragon winding through the streets of Tai Hang for three nights during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Tai Hang, on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island near Causeway Bay and Tin Hau, is transformed as the dragon – carried by some 300 performers – makes its way through the neighbourhood. Weighing more than 100kg, it is adorned with around 12,000 burning incense sticks.

For Ainsworth, the spectacle is not only in the dragon itself.

“My favourite thing to shoot is the humanity. It’s about capturing physical strain and emotions, and seeing the kids really excited,” he tells The Straits Times over a video call. 

“You have to look at the people involved – they’re sweating and screaming, and they’re strong. They have to constantly relight the incense. The whole tradition is grounded in humanity.”

Ainsworth moved to Hong Kong from Bournemouth in Britain in 2014 and has spent the past decade working as a full-time photographer. His work has won more than 50 awards, including Architecture Photographer of the Year at the international European Photography Awards 2026.

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance remains among his most memorable experiences, both as a photographer and spectator. But he finds Hong Kong’s smaller and lesser-known traditions just as rewarding, including the fire dragon dance in Pok Fu Lam village and Chinese New Year celebrations at Tin Hau Temple on Lamma Island.

For major events such as the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, he recommends doing research beforehand. Understanding the dragon’s route, for instance, can help photographers and travellers position themselves for a better view of the action.

Yet, some of his most memorable images have come from taking the opposite approach – by putting away the itinerary and seeing where the city leads.

He believes travellers can experience the city much as he has – and continues to do – with little more than curiosity and a camera. Take slow walks through neighbourhoods, he suggests, and do not be afraid to wander down an unplanned path.

“Don’t worry about getting lost. Just take notice of everything around you. That’s where the camera helps. It makes you go out and be a bit more observant,” he says.

“Some of the best photos I’ve taken were not shot at the destination but during the journey.”