Big red dragons danced to the beat of the percussion. It was a little chase in the narrow streets of Manila. They swung and swivelled, tossed and whirled by young men in yellow shirts and red pants. They each followed a ball, likewise carried by young men. Cars and pedestrians waited patiently to take their turn to cross the roads. People stuck in the slow traffic watched as the mythical creatures came to life.  A team of Filipino-Chinese held a tarpaulin while walking ahead of the dragons. It said "Happy New Year, Kung Hei Fat Choi!"

A few blocks away from the center of Binondo, the little China in Manila, the Chinese new year is alive.