LCQ6: Regulation of lion, dragon and unicorn dances
16.11.2022

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Chi-pang and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (November 16): Question: Under section 4C(1) of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228), any person who organises or participates in a lion dance, dragon dance or unicorn dance (collectively referred to as lion dance), or any attendant martial arts display (dragon and lion dance sports), in a public place is guilty of an offence, unless the person has been given any such general or special permit as the Commissioner of Police in his absolute discretion may issue. There are views that the relevant requirement has created a negative impact on the development of dragon and lion dance sports. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of dragon and lion dance organisations and teams, as well as the number of dragon and lion dance competitions held in Hong Kong, in the past five years, and set out, by name of competition, the number of participating teams, the number of participants and the age distribution of participants; (2) of the number of applications for lion dance permits received by the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), and the respective numbers of general and special permits issued, in each of the past five years; of the justifications for issuing such permits; (3) in respect of the activities for which permits were issued in the past five years, whether there were illegal acts which breached the conditions of the permit when such activities were conducted; if so, of the number and percentage of the relevant activities in each of those years; if not, whether it has reviewed if the system for permit application is necessary; (4) as prior application to HKPF is required for holding dragon and lion dance sports, and applicants are required to submit to HKPF copies of the identity documents of the organisers and all the participants beforehand, whether the Government has made the same arrangements for other sports or performances; if so, of the types of such sports or performances, the basis for regulation, and the procedures for handling applications; if not, the reasons for the Government to regulate dragon and lion dance sports only; and (5) whether the Government regularly reviewed in the past five years if it is appropriate to continue invoking Cap. 228 to regulate dragon and lion dance sports; if so, of the details and time of the review; if not, whether it will immediately conduct such a review? Reply: President, Section 4C of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228) stipulates that any person who organises or participates in a lion dance, dragon dance, unicorn dance (hereafter referred to as lion dance activities), or any attendant martial arts display in a public place, save for persons exempted by the Commissioner of Police (CP), shall be subject to the conditions of the permit issued by the CP. The purpose of the relevant policy is to prevent the involvement of lawbreakers in lion dance activities and to ensure that such activities will not cause public disorder, including traffic congestion, noise nuisance or other inconvenience to the public, or affect public safety. Having consulted the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, my reply to the various parts of the question is as follows: (1) The Government does not maintain a record of all dragon and lion dance organisations and teams or the number of dragon and lion dance competitions in Hong Kong. Currently, the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association Ltd (the Association) is a national sports association (NSA) subvented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and a member of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. As of October 2022, the Association has about 190 organisation members. The information on the dragon and lion dance competitions organised by the Association with funding support from LCSD in each of the past five years is tabulated as follows: Year 2018-19 Name of activity Number of participating teams Number of participants Age requirements of participants 1) 19th Hong Kong Open Luminous Dragon Dance Competition 17 289 Aged 14 or above 2) 11th Hong Kong Open Northern Lion Dance Competition 6 60 3) 9th Hong Kong Open Skilled Dragon Dance Competition 16 160 Aged six or above 4) Hong Kong Open Dragon & Lion Dance Competition 2018 72 736 5) 25th Inter-School Dragon & Lion Dance Championship 92 922 Total: 203 2 167 Year 2019-20* Name of activity Number of participating teams Number of participants Age requirements of participants 1) 20th Hong Kong Open Luminous Dragon Dance Competition 22 374 Aged 14 or above 2) World Hong Kong Luminous Dragon and Lion Dance Championship 19 414 3) 26th Inter-School Dragon & Lion Dance Championship 67 672 Aged six or above Total: 108 1 460 Year 2020-21^ Name of activity Number of participating teams Number of participants Age requirements of participants - 0 0 - Year 2021-22^ Name of activity Number of participating teams Number of participants Age requirements of participants - 0 0 - Year 2022-23^ Name of activity Number of participating teams Number of participants Age requirements of participants 1) 13th Hong Kong Open Skilled Dragon Dance Competition 20 200 Aged six or above 2) Hong Kong Open Dragon & Lion Dance Competition 2022 60 605 3) 15th Hong Kong Open Northern Lion Dance Competition 6 60 Aged 14 or above Total: 86 865 * Due to the serious violence, some of the subvented dragon and lion dance competitions for that year were cancelled. ^ Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, some or all subvented dragon and lion dance competitions for that year were cancelled. (2) and (3) The numbers of applications for lion dance permits received by the Police in the past five years are as follows: Year Number of applications for permits Number of permits issued Number of exemptions granted Number of applications objected 2018 2 429 2 421 7 0 2019 2 605 2 364 49 0 2020 1 112 989 31 4 2021 133 4 0 21 January to September 2022 64 28 4 8 Note (1)ï¼The lion dance permits issued by the Police are not classified as general or special permits. Note (2)ï¼The figures are based on the date of receipt of the applications/issuance of the permits/objection to the applications. As the events may happen in different years, the sum of numbers of applications for permits, permits issued and exemptions granted may not equal to that of applications for permits in the same year. The Police have established procedures and guidelines for processing applications for lion dance permits. Each and every application will be assessed in a holistic manner to decide whether a permit should be issued. The Police will consider various relevant factors, including the venue, time and nature of the activity organised, the impact on traffic and residents, the background of the organiser and its past record, and whether the activity will be used for illegal purposes. If it is satisfied that the activity does not involve lawbreakers and will not jeopardise public order and public safety, a permit will be issued with appropriate conditions based on which the organiser is to manage the lion dance activity. The Police have put in place an exemption mechanism to grant exemption to activities that do not involve illegal acts or do not have an impact on public order, such as those organised by the Government or schools. The Police will review the scope of the exemption mechanism as appropriate. The Police do not maintain figures on non-compliance with the conditions of the permits. In case any acts in breach of the permit conditions are found, the Police will take appropriate enforcement action depending on the circumstances of each case. (4) and (5) Given the unique nature of lion dance activities and attendant martial arts displays, it is necessary for the Government to ensure that public order is not disturbed and that public safety is not affected when such sport activities are conducted in public places. The Police will require all applicants and participants of lion dance activities to submit copies of their identity documents and authorise the Police to check their criminal conviction records to facilitate the Police's scrutiny of such applications. The criminal conviction records serve as useful references for the Police's assessment in considering whether such activities involve lawbreakers or are being used for covering up illegal activities. The existing permit and related exemption mechanism has been operating effectively over the years, and has the practical needs to ensure that public order is not disturbed and that public safety is not affected when lion dance activities or performances are conducted. We would like to stress that there is no intention on the part of the Government to impede the proper development of lion dance activities and attendant martial arts displays. Participants of these activities are required to submit applications to the Police only when their performances are to be held in public places. In fact, apart from requiring persons organising lion dance activities in a public place to obtain a permit in advance, organisers of sports activities or events which involve gathering of a large crowd, temporary traffic control measures or the use of public place are also required to seek advice from and/or make applications to the relevant departments. For instance, in order to organise an activity that involves any form of competition on the road as specified in section 55 of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), relevant persons must obtain a Road Event Permit from the Police. The Police have been continually reviewing the existing mechanism and maintaining close liaison with the sector. Reviews are conducted in a timely manner to refine the application procedures. For instance, the Police rolled out Licensing E-service in September 2020. Organisers can apply for permits and submit required documents through Police's public website and save time from queuing and submitting applications at report rooms. The Police will ensure public safety and public order while facilitating lion dance activities and attendant martial arts displays.