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rural simplicity. Many of those in the procession were school children dressed in a variety of international costumes whilst the presence of ladies dressed in costume (see illustration) reminded us that Tan Gong is a Hakka god and that the Hakkas have both a rural as well as coastal background. (3)
After a sumptuous Portuguese casserole lunch at the Cacarola Restaurant in the nearby Rue das Gaivotas we made our way to the Taipa House Museum. Here there was lovingly recreated the living style of Macanese civil servant families living on Taipa Island during the early 20th Century. A reminder of much quieter times before we jet-foiled our way back to busy Hong Kong.
NOTES
1. It is not uncommon in 19th Century and early 20th Century Guandong folklore for dragons appearing in the guise of serpents to perform epidemic curing miracles. Witness my account of the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance on p.307. Vol.30, 1990 JHKBRAS. (For my research on this subject I am indebted to the Rev. Eric Kvan).
2. Stevens, Keith (1997), p.140 Chinese Gods, Collins and Brown, in his account of the story of Lung Mu, the Mother of the Dragon, gives another example of a Pearl River area dragon turning from a serpent to a dragon.
3. SIU, Anthony K.K., Vol. 27 JHKBRAS tells of the origins of Tan Gong in Guandong.