The Chinese folk art of lion dance has already grown into an international competition, which kicked off in Kaohsiung City this month, with teams from 8 different nations vying for the top prize of NT 200,000.

The red lion comes to life under the manipulation of these professional lion dancers.

The actions are so intricate that the blinking of the eyes and scratching of the body look so real as if the puppets are alive.

Also, there is the 2m high pole that makes regular folks tremble, but the dancers are up there jumping and dancing with ease and vigor.

Then of course there is the

This is the International Lion Dance Competition held in Kaohsiung City, and the eight teams that attended this event are actually from all over the world, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

No matter where they are from, their techniques are impressive, which made the competition fierce.

The winning team gets a NT$200,000 prize money, and since this is a rare event, many people have gathered there to witness and cheer for all the teams making it a successful venue.