Happy New Year of the Dragon

By ST.Fan -
The Chinese lunisolar year for 2012 is the year of the dragon or "Lóng nián". The New year day for this dragon year falls on January 23 2012. The Chinese new year is referred by the Chinese as Agriculture Calender New Year or "Nóng rìlì xīnnián" to differentiate it from the international new year day of the Gregorian calendar.

The Chinese dragon or the "Lóng" is a very differently beast from the dragon of the western culture.  To the westerners,  dragon is considered an evil monster that terrorized human kind, therefore should be sought out and slain.


"Lóng" - the Chinese dragon, on the other hand,  is regarded as a divine beast that possessed supernatural power and a symbol of supreme authority. The Chinese dragon is also believed to command sound judgement, positiveness and good fortune. The auspicious Lóng is a colourful beast unlike the western dragon which is mostly black or grey. The  Chinese dragon can be in any of these colours - golden, red, orange, yellow, green, black and white.

Dragon at the Pavilion KL dragon bazaar
The pavilion dragon at the centre court bazaar breathing good fortune to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. -- Camera: Olympus Pen Lite E-PL2, Lens: 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 II MSC. at 42mm 1/100s f/5.6 ISO500

The dragon year is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity. Naturally for the dragon year decorations most shopping malls will beautify their main entrance and concourse area with some kind of dragon replica or dragon figurine.

The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, one of the leading shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, never skimp on costs when comes to beautifying their mall for any festivals. For this dragon year decoration they have put up a magnificent 180-meter (600-foot) long dragon replica in their centre court bazaar.

Dragon head of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Close up head shot of the 180-meter long dragon replica at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens:M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ED MSC, at 62mm 1/30s f/4.5 ISO 200

The Pavilion dragon is already attracting lots of visitors to the mall and it will be there till the end of January 2012.  Business wise the dragon certainly seems to be bringing good fortune for Pavilion mall and their tenants.   Will the shoppers be equally blessed with luck and good fortune?  We can't foretell but one thing we noticed during our visit there was shoppers were certainly filled with amazement, fascination, disbelief and laughters.


Dragon at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur 2012
Visitors to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur during the month of January 2012 are greeted by this 180-meter long dragon replica at the centre court of the malls. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: M.Zuiko 17mm F/2.8 at 1/125s f/4.0 ISO 200

Happy dragon year
This dragon at Pavilion Mall Kuala Lumpur is for the 2012 Chinese New Year celebration.  The dragon sure looks happy and upbeat about a better year ahead.  -- Camera: Olympus Pen Lite E-PL2, Lens: M.Zuiko 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 II MSC at 34mm 1/80s f/9.0 ISO 1250

Dragon Year 2012
This 180-meter long  dragon replica looked agile and alive when viewed from this low angle position.   -- Camera: Olympus Pen Lite E-PL2 Lens: M,Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II MSC at 15mm 1/80s F/9.0 ISO640

We wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous 2012 and may the dragon year brings you good fortune and great health.


Popular posts from this blog

2013 Chinese New Year Decoration in Pavilion KL

By ST.Fan -
Image
Our memory is still fresh with the photo session of Majestic Dragon of the Pavilion Mall.  But time flies and that a year has past.  Soon we will be in the Lunar Year of the Snake and bid farewell to the Dragon Year. The 2013 snake year celebration at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur has this cartoon-like Snake leading the 12 Chinese Zodiac Circle of Reunion at the Mall's Bukit Bintang entrance. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Pancake lens, setting lens at f/5.6 1/200s and ISO 200. We were on our way to the Pavilion Mall and expecting to see a big anaconda just like the Majestic Dragon at the Mall for the Year of the Snake.  When we arrived we were disappointed because the Pavilion Mall had a miserable green earthworm disguised as a snake at the entrance. Luckily the Green earth worm looked cute and funny and if not for its forked tongue it definitely is merely a big fat earthworm. The 2013 Chinese New Year theme for Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is
Keep reading

Macro with M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F/2.8 Macro MSC Lens

By ST.Fan -
Image
Having experienced the joy of macro photography with the Olympus MCON-P01 macro converter, my wife is all set for the real thing and she is now a proud owner of the highly acclaimed Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 60mm F/2.8 macro lens. This lens is lightweight but well-built and about 80% longer in length than the M.Zuiko 45mm F/1.8 which is another Olympus prime lens with many positive users feed back. For us the 60mm F/2.8 macro is a more versatile and useful lens for the type of photography that Elaine engage in. We treat lenses and cameras like an artist's tool set that are acquired based on its ability in adding value to our creative pursuit. Close-up of a fully ripe mulberry fruit the separate minute fruits of this multiple fruit is clearly visible in this 1:1 macro shot.    --    Camera: Olympus Pen E-PL2, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60 mm f/2.8 MSC Macro Lens, setting at F/9.0 1/40s and ISO 200 Build-in flash on. The M.ZUIKO Digital ED 60mm F/2.8 macro lens i
Keep reading

Misty Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and Lumix DMC-TZ70

By ST.Fan -
Image
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is the world's longest and highest pedestrian glass bridge located at Zhangjiajie National forest Park in northern Hunan, China, also referred as the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass bridge. Zhangjiajie Glass bridge was officially opened to visitors on August 20, 2016. The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is 385 meters (1263 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide. The height of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is 300 meters (984 feet) above the canyon floor. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass bridge is designed by renowned architect and poet, Professor Haim Dotan. His design concept of the bridge is an Invisible Bridge that blends in with nature and harmonise with Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass bridge taken from the amphitheater in poor weather with rain and fog over the canyon. It lives up to the design concept of "Invisible Bridge" and the background blends in like a backdrop from a  Chinese painting.  --
Keep reading