Bogor. Craftsmen are busy making costumes of Chinesemythical creatures at Lily Barongsai & Liong Workshop in Babakan Pasar, Bogor, West Java on January 15, 2022. Located inside a small aisle near the City of Rain's biggest Chinatown, Barongsai (lion) and Liong (dragon) costumes were prepared to distribute around the archipelago and the world.
 
Lily Hambali, 61, the owner of the only Barongsai and Liong workshop in Bogor said that his team has been preparing the costumes to welcome the Year of the Tiger during Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh -- the ultimate celebration for Indonesians of Chinese descent that comes 15 nights after Chinese New Year.

"We are in a rush! Someone had ordered a Liong costume one year ago. For the price, the Liong (dragon) is Rp 8 million and the Barongsai (lion) is Rp 5.5 million. We serve shipping from Aceh to Papua, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe, and Saudi Arabia", said the entrepreneur who started his business 22 years ago.

Despite working with very limited time due to weather conditions, they have to create every aspect and detail of the costume with patience.

"The key is patience and must be precise. We don’t want to waste our raw materials, We import them directly from China. We need to fulfill the world standard as the book we get from Shanghai that told how to create, assemble and perform these [Barongsai and Liong]", he said.

During the pandemic, there was no performance or exhibition. The government considered the Barongsai and Liong attraction would possibly invite a crowd. As the condition improves, they have started to accept orders from new Barongsai and Liong clubs including the Indonesian Army. They are also quite enthusiastic about performing the dance which will be competed at the 2024 PON (National Sports Week) in Medan.

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