PART IV “DRAGON”
(BG – street noises – 2”)
VO2: Hey, look at that huge dragon lantern!
VO1: Oh, right, it’s the year of the dragon now! Pretty scary!
VO2: Actually, in Chinese culture the dragon’s more lucky than scary.
VO1: Dragons are nice in Taiwan?
VO2: Well, I wouldn’t say nice exactly. Just ask a rooster.
VO1: Come again?
VO2: You don’t know the story of how the dragon got his horns? Legend has it that in ancient times, it was the rooster that was horned, not the dragon.
VO1: Oh, weird!
VO2: So, the dragon was jealous. After some persuasion the centipede convinced the rooster to lend the dragon his horns, at which point the dragon dived into the water where the rooster couldn’t follow. From that time on, dragons have had horns and roosters crow every morning to demand their return. Oh, and roosters hate centipedes.
(MUSICAL INTERLUDE: 3 seconds)
[40”]
VO1: So, let me get this right. There are 12 animals in total.
VO2: Right.
VO1: So how did they choose the twelve?
VO2: Ready for another story?
VO1: Go on...
VO2: According to legend, the Buddha invited all the animals to participate in a race. The first 12 across the line would have months of the year named after them.
VO1: I’m betting on the dragon for first place.
VO2: Actually, it was the rat. He cheated though, by riding on the back of the ox and jumping off at the last minute.
VO1: Poor ox! So it’s rat, ox…
VO2: Then tiger.
VO1: Then dragon?
VO2: Almost. The rabbit came before the dragon, but that’s cos the dragon helped rabbit in the last stretch.
VO1: Aww, that’s nice!
VO2: Then dragon, snake, horse,
VO1: Huh, snake beat horse?
VO2: Yeah, another dirty trick. The snake hid himself in the horse’s hoof.
VO1: Quite a few shenanigans going on in that race.
VO2: But there was teamwork too: sheep, monkey and rooster helped each other out.
VO1: Okay, so then we’re left with,
VO2: dog, who came in 11th cos he wanted a bath.
VO1: Which leaves…
VO2: Pig. He apparently stopped to have a feast mid-race. So, there you have it – the 12 animals were chosen.
VO1: Huh, so the moral of this story is – cheats come first, people who help each other do okay, but not great, and you should only take a bath after you finish a race.
(MUSICAL INTERLUDE: 3”)
1”58
VO1: So, anything else I need to know about the year of the dragon?
VO2: Well, a lot of people are going to be hoping to have kids this year.
VO1: Oh really?
VO2: Yeah, the year of the dragon is very auspicious, so “dragon babies” are all the rage!
VO1: Wow.
VO2: According to some experts, we can expect a rise of up to 200,000 newborns in Taiwan alone.
VO1: Are you serious?
VO2: Yep. It happened in ‘76 and again in ’88 and 2000. Parents want successful children I guess.
VO1: Man, I just hope those kids don’t feel too much pressure! Can you imagine the weight of expectation on a “Dragon Baby”?
VO2: Right. Plus, competition for school places is going to be fiercer than ever.
ANNC: This program has been brought to you by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. The 2012 Lantern Festival is happening in LuGang from the [ ] to the [ ]. Head on down to experience this festival of lights yourself!