Hong Kong balloon artist breaks record for longest loong

Visitors admire the 40-meter-long balloon loong gliding through the three-story atrium of a shopping mall in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. [PHOTO/XINHUA]

HONG KONG — During Chinese New Year, a balloon loong (the Chinese pronunciation of dragon) measuring over 40 meters in length glided through the three-story atrium of a shopping mall in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.

On Jan 24, the artwork was confirmed to have broken the Guinness World Record for being the world's largest balloon loong.

The loong epitomizes resilience, dynamism and vitality in Chinese culture.

With glittering scales, the record-breaking loong, made up of 38,000 balloons, emanates a golden light, and exudes a sense of power and elegance.

With over a decade of experience in the craft, balloon artist Wilson Pang harbored a long-standing aspiration to craft a loong-shaped balloon.

"According to legend, the loong is in charge of rain. Only good weather can produce good crops, so the Chinese have been in awe of the dragon since ancient times," Pang says, adding that many idioms about loong are particularly good blessings.

As this is the Year of the Loong, Pang quickly finalized cooperation with the shopping mall and decided to make a gigantic balloon loong. He invited his counterparts, along with students from the City University of Hong Kong and a secondary school, to form a 60-member team.

"The loong is a totem of the Chinese people and has a special meaning, so the production should be rigorous," Pang says, adding that a lot of data was collected before he started producing the display.

Pang says that the most difficult part was the eyes, with more than 10 drafts being made for one eye alone before he was satisfied.

Balloon artist Wilson Pang talks about the making of the Guinness World Record-breaking balloon loong. [PHOTO/XINHUA]

The balloon artist thought the team could set a record with a loong 10 meters long, but the Guinness officials said it would have to be at least 33 meters in length, and it could not be supported by any additional skeleton, so the team had to start all over again.

The loong project began on Jan 20, with the team working round the clock to finally complete a 41.77-meter balloon loong without skeleton support.

The Guinness certification officer was greatly impressed, saying it was one of the most delicate balloon artworks ever. The team members clapped excitedly upon the announcement of the new record.

Before becoming a balloon artist, Pang was a magician. He became interested in balloons after attending a child's birthday party where he found that balloons gave people a lot of joy. Later, he went around the world to learn from different teachers to improve his skills.

Pang's work has won prizes in the United States and set regional records in places such as Singapore. This time his work set a world record in Hong Kong, which was a dream come true. "This is the most memorable piece I've ever made. It is very meaningful," he says.

The exhibition of the loong drew large crowds of people. "Beautiful", "amazing", "spectacular", and "thanks for bringing us peace", were among the many positive comments Pang received on his social media page.

To thank the audience for their support, Pang printed 5,000 postcards featuring the loong and arranged a meeting with them at the mall.

"To deliver a warm, loving, positive message to the people of Hong Kong is what I always want to do," Pang says.

Two-thirds of the members of the team that produced the loong were students. Pang believes that it is important to give young people opportunities, so he specially invited college and high school students to participate in the project.

"I hope to share what I have learned with young people," Pang says. "I have won championships myself and I hope to inspire a new generation of future champions."

Growing up in Hong Kong, a place where Chinese and Western cultures blend, Pang often thought about how to interpret the beauty of Eastern culture with balloon art, which originated in the West.

The balloon artist hopes that one day he can introduce to the world balloon works that display Chinese culture. "This is my new dream," he says, smiling.