How many facial expressions does a lion have? Few of us would sensibly venture a guess, but Ha King-man is confident in his answer: no less than eight.

The Hong-Kong born "lion dancer" is a fourth-generation family member of the Ha Kwok Cheung Dragon & Lion Dance group, and he happily illustrated these eight expressions at Shanghai Citic Square last Friday.   

By blinking the lion's eyes, opening and closing its mouth, shaking its mane and tail, jumping up and down, and even rolling on the floor, Ha and his colleague gave us all eight emotions: happy, angry, drunk, suspicious, frightened, laughing, sleeping and awakening.

All goes well

On the day, Ha scaled a five-meter high pillar before placing the lion head on, and showing its "happy" face to the crowded square. A scroll then rolled down from the lion's mouth reading wan shi ru yi (everything goes well) in descending Chinese characters.

This was the opening ceremony of the first ever lion dance cultural exhibition organized and staged by the Hong Kong group and which will last until February 25 (1168 Nanjing Road West, Shanghai Citic Square, 6218-0180).

It's almost 90 years since Ha's great-grandfather Ha Hon-hung set up a dragon and lion dance team in Guangzhou, and it was in the 1950s that they moved permanently to Hong Kong where Ha's grandfather Ha Kwok-cheung built an enviable reputation for the troupe in various lion dance competitions.

Ha started in the business at the tender age of four, under the instruction of both his father, Ha Tak-kin, and his grandfather. "My grandfather was very strict and scolded me from time to time. But my father was always easier going," Ha told the Global Times.

And it was Ha's father who told him the culture behind the tradition, instilling a love in him for a performing artform that date-back hundreds of years. 

There are two major lion dance traditions in China: northern lions and southern lions, which differ both in the look of the lion costume, and in the way the lion is moved and manipulated. 

The northern lions feature a simple, but vivid representation of a lion with a shaggy orange and yellow mane and a bow tied around its head. This big cat is famed for it agile movements. Its southern sister is noted for its intricate designs based on traditional Chinese opera make up, while emphasizing powerful moves and solid postures.

It was in the 1980s that Ha's family integrated the look of southern lions with the agility of northern lions.

Heroic characters

One set of costumes on show at the exhibition is based on the three heroic characters from the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, respectively Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The yellow costume with white hair represents Liu Bei, and stands for royalty, benignity and kindness. The red lion with black hair indicates Guan Yu, and symbolizes bravery and strength. While the black lion with black hair refers to Zhang Fei, who is young and combative.

A golden lion costume, inspired by the well-known film Curse of the Golden Flower directed by Zhang Yimou, is one of Ha's latest designs. And just like the protagonists in the film who wear gold armor, the lion head is decorated with a helmet.

Also on view are lion costumes decorated with hundreds of Swarovski crystals, as well as a carmine-colored lion costume featuring "peach blossoms" all over its body.

Most of Ha's latest designs are also equipped with LED lights sown into their heads and bodies.

All of the lion heads of the costumes are made from reinforced paper, which is painted with a special oil to make it waterproof. According to Ha, a lion head can normally only be used for about 20 performances before it starts to disintegrate.

Today, lion heads weigh an average of five pounds (2.27 kilograms), which is only half the weight of what they once were.

Hip-hop moves

And in 2008, Ha created what was probably the first, and only, hip-hop lion dance, using the musical genre's rhythmic beats instead of the usual drums and gongs.

"Modern elements help to make lion dancing more attractive to young people," Ha told the Global Times. Currently the troupe is cooperating with more than 50 schools in Hong Kong, ranging from primary schools to colleges, teaching the performance artform to a new generation.

On February 2, some 60 primary students from Shanghai international schools will participate in a lion dance competition at Shanghai Citic Square. Meanwhile, the Citic Plaza Shen Hong (1350 Sichuan Road North) will play host to a hip-hop lion dance show on January 26 and 27.

"With these activities, we're hoping to revive the tradition's vitality in the mainland, which is where it originates after all," Ha told the Global Times.

It is now three years since Ha first came to the mainland with his lion dance troupe. Hailed as one of the best- and the most expensive - lion dance teams in Hong Kong, they stage more than 800 performances on the island every year. Currently in Shanghai, they carry out about 50 shows annually, mostly around Spring Festival.