Marysville dragon on display in New York

"He looks like he is ready to get out there and play again," said Sandy Lim of Marysville, who is a member of the Marysville Chinese Community, which owns the dragon.

Marci Reaven, vice president of history exhibits at the New-York Historical Society, said Moo Lung is the largest and most dramatic of the 200 objects on display at the "Chinese American: Exclusion/ Inclusion" exhibit, which is now open and runs through April 19.

The exhibition takes a look at trade and immigration between China and the United States from the 1700s to the present day and asks, "What does it mean to be an American?"

Ric Lim, president of the Marysville Chinese Community, traveled to New York to see the exhibit.

The Marysville resident said that although he knew the issues Chinese laborers had faced, the exhibit was very eye-opening.

"It was very, very emotional for me," he said. "It really brought me to a full realization of the trials and tribulations, my ancestor's dealt with just to come into this country."

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned immigration from China to the United States.

The act was repealed in 1943 during World War II.

Ric Lim enjoyed seeing Moo Lung on display at the conclusion of the exhibit next to a photograph of the dragon performing in the 1911 Fourth of July Parade in New York City.

He is happy with the restoration.

"It looks like a 100 percent rebirth of Moo Lung," he said. "It is beautiful."

Reaven agreed and said, "Some visitors viewing Moo Lung have said it brought tears to their eyes to consider the efforts and ambitions of those early Chinese Americans. We were interested in including Moo Lung since, as one of the oldest artifacts connected to Chinese American history, it attests to the long history of Chinese in America. It is not only a magnificent object, but it also makes a statement about Chinese American insistence on being part of American society despite the discrimination of the Exclusion Act."

Moo Lung, also known as Gum Lung and Lung Huang, is believed to be the first Chinese ceremonial dragon to come to the United States.

Facts differ from source to source, but it is believed the roughly 150-foot-long dragon came from China to Marysville in the 1880s at a cost of $5,000-$7,000.

It's said it took a 100-person team to operate the dragon and all of its other parts.

The intricate, detailed dragon head, which is made up of paper mache, silk, hand-blown glass and kingfisher feathers, needed hundreds of hours for repair and restoration.

Moo Lung was sent off from Marysville to "Of Course Lion Source" in San Francisco this April as thousands of firecrackers exploded around it at the Bok Kai Temple.

The firecrackers were a way of wishing Moo Lung good luck and a safe journey, Ric Lim said.

Corey Chan and his small team were tasked with making the dragon look young again.

"Moo Lung's internal framework structure looked like spaghetti because it was (previously) repaired by people who may not have had the time or patience to do nothing and just observe," Chan said. "That simple act of stillness allowed us to absorb the original artist's method and intent in several important repair steps."

Most of the bamboo framework, fastened with twisted paper ties and wire, was preserved, Chan said.

"We'd kind of ask the spirit of the creator, 'What did you intend for this structure to look like?' or 'Why did you put this here?' After awhile, the answers to our questions usually came to us," Chan said.

Moo Lung's tongue and jaw had completely come off and the entire head was very dirty.

The body is long gone, and only the head remains.

Hundreds of tiny mirrors and accompanying brass frames were cleaned and are now easily visible.

Now fully restored, the predominantly green dragon head stands at least six feet tall.

"To touch and be a part of preserving such an important historical artifact gives us an inexplicable sense of pride," Chan said.

After the exhibit closes in April, the dragon is scheduled to return to Marysville.

Ric Lim would love to see Moo Lung return to a climate controlled room at the Bok Kai Temple where it could go on display as part of a museum but said more donations are needed to make that a reality.

CONTACT David Bittonat 749-4796. Find him on Facebook at ADdbitton.

Moo Lung

Moo Lung was used in the Bok Kai Parade from 1888 to 1916 and made one final Marysville appearance in 1930.

Moo Lung was included in a San Francisco parade in 1937, but at only 100 feet in length instead of 150 due to tearing and old age.

The dragon wasn't only used at Chinese festivals.

Moo Lung performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the Fourth of July parade in New York City in 1911.

Marysville didn't receive its second dragon, Kim Lung, until 1969.

The current and fifth dragon, Hong Wan Lung, first appeared at the 2009 Bok Kai Parade.