Read this, or suffer the humiliation of Burn failure.
INTRODUCTION
Dragon Burn is a regional event based on the ethos and principles of Burning Man. Some things may not be clear to you now, but after the event, we believe that you will understand the experience and ethos more. Dragon Burn is a weekend event celebrating art, community, music, fire, imagination, interaction and participation. Our event is 100% not for profit. All of our organizers, artists and volunteers have purchased tickets. There are no sponsors or vendors. Dragon burn is part of a global community of likeminded- open- and loving people coming together in hundreds of events each year. For many, Dragon Burn is a container for growth and new experiences, so check out a workshop, installation or a panel discussion. Set an intention and use your time here as an opportunity to learn about others, the world and yourself.
How to read this guide:
LNT = Leave No Trace. Pack it in, pack it out. Leave the site better than you found it.
MOOP = Matter Out Of Place. Mooping is the act of removing MOOP. Be considerate and MOOP the site even if you didn’t put it there.
Sparkle Pony = An unprepared attendee. Prefers to watch and be entertained.
Effigy = The biggest thing that will be burned Saturday night. P.s. It looks like a dragon. It’s name is Panlong (meaning the lake Dragon that has not yet ascended)
BE PREPARED
The most important thing is your frame of mind. This event celebrates community, you, art, fire, performance, and most of all: community. Got it? This event is made up of what participants bring to it, no more, no less. Arriving with a good mindset is as important as arriving with food, water, and shelter. The volunteers and organizers are great people- please be kind and loving to them. Don’t do dumb shit. Agreed? Good. Let’s carry on.
Decommodification: Decomoddification is the name of the game. Your brands may be mocked mercilessly. Vendors will be fed to the dragons. Don’t sell anything, and we will make sure that you’re not overwhelmed with any marketing.
Radical Self-Reliance: You are responsible for organizing your food, drinks, and shelter (YOU MUST BRING A TENT- TENTS ARE NOT PROVIDED OR RENTED ON SITE). And sharing is caring.
Permission: You have permission to express yourself. Others have permission to express themselves. However, Yes means yes. Intimacy is more fun when everybody’s involved. Consent to participate in any personal interaction, especially physical, must be agreed upon by all Burners involved. Please ask for consent when taking pictures during the event.
SHOWING YOUR PLUMAGE (COLORS)
The warmer days and cooler nights give you the opportunity to wear awesome costumes and outfits. Let your creative genius take over, from decking out your camp with lights and tapestries to costumes and fur coats, bring creativity to your experience and it will add a new dimension to the adventure.
GIFTING
Some of the best experiences will be between you and others at unexpected times. Whether its a heartfelt conversation about life, someone giving you a hug, or sharing food- gifting is everywhere at Dragon Burn. You can prepare a small trinket of your appreciation ahead of the event and keep them on you for when you have shared a moment with others. Great gifts are not MOOP generating- jewelry, gum, cigarettes, polaroid photos, handmade items, food, drink, DIY items, soap, etc. Gifting is an exercise in generosity- sharing for the sake of sharing and expecting nothing in return.
ESSENTIALS
- Food Water – at least 2L per day
- Cup- maybe dress it up a bit too
- Reusable bowl, plate, and chopsticks/spork
- Costumes/Outfits – prepare for warm daytime, cold nighttime, with potential for rain
- Sunscreen
- Bug-repellent
- Toilet paper
- Shelter
- Toiletries
- Good shoes
- Rain gear
- Trash bags
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Headlamp/portable light source
- Earplugs (if you like to sleep at night)
- Gloves (for building)
KERMIT THE FROG
It isn’t easy being green. We encourage everyone to have a sustainable eco-friendly burn. Reusable products are a Burner’s friend. Please, no glowsticks, styrofoam, glass, or single-use plastic packaged products. Pack your food conscientiously to reduce the amount of trash you will create. Suggested foods: Cereal, mac n cheese, cold cuts, rice, fruit, salads, nuts, pizza, sandwiches, peeled boiled eggs, pickles. Bea a good neighbor and bring some to share!
Pack it in+ Pack it out! NO TRASH LEFT BEHIND
Trashbags are a burner’s best gift- bring bags for you, friends, and neighbors. Clean your camp area and keep your trash sorted. Work with your neighbors to create a community recycling strategy. Lead by example- it may not be your trash, but that’s okay. Love thy neighbor and clean up after them, and they will do the same for you. SMOKERS- we love you, please have a metal tin on you at all times to collect your cigarette butts. The only butts on the floor should be your cushy butt sitting and relaxing in the grass all weekend (hahaha see what I did there).
DON’T USE THE LAND AS A TOILET. Your poop and pee is M.O.O.P. The event site is small and we intend to avoid pests, bad smells, and possible illness. Out of respect for the environment, your fellow Burners, please find a toilet. We are serious! DO NOT DO IT!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
There are showers. Bring soap. Smell good, thanks. Don’t forget that towel. Tent space will be very cosy- we know you love it. A lovely volunteer will be helping you to put your tent in a location that will allow for many people to use the space as well. If you want to camp with friends arriving at another time, were sorry- you may want to move your tent after they arrive. We can’t allow people to save tent space. We just have too many awesome burners.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW—TRANSPORTATION
The Bus pickup location is the Camel Puxi. At the intersection of Dongping Road and Yueyang Road. Be there at least 45 mins before your bus departure time. Buses will be loaded one at a time. You will be checked in with your tickets, given a wristband, and then you may load your gear onto the bus. Any bags/backpacks/ coolers that can fit in the bus seating area should be stored there- larger items like tents, musical equipment, should be put under the bus. Be kind to the volunteers- they will be outnumbered. NO BUS TICKETS OR EVENT TICKET MEANS NO DRAGON BURN FOR YOU.
Please pack your gear such that you can carry it on cement, grass, hills, dirt, and mud. Rollable luggage is great, but don’t bring your best international luggage to the event.
There will be two scheduled bathroom stops to and from the event. Don’t be that Burner everyone else is waiting for. Smoking should be reserved for the potty breaks (not on the bus please). Partying on the bus is okay, but if the driver asks you to behave, please respect his/ her wishes. Always bring enough to share on the bus.
The bus will leave Sunday at 2pm (start to load at 1 pm). All buses will depart at the same time to ensure that the site is clean before we all leave. Expect to arrive around 8 pm to the Camel. If you have art, you will be responsible for staying with the art truck at the Camel and taking your art home with you. We love your art, but we can’t be responsible for it.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION (for ticket holders only)
The event location is private land located about 25 minutes west from Anji City. The site is called TianJenWen Yuan in the town of HangGaizhen in Anji county or translated 浙江省湖州市 安吉县杭垓镇天泇 ⼭⽂创园 (you can put this in your GPS!) This private land is a small peninsula along the Fushi Reservoir.
If you show up without a wristband, and don’t have a ticket, we are sorry, but the event is full. No tickets can be issued on site.
FIRE AND FIRE RELATED THINGS
Forest fires are real. Tent fires are very real. Please use open area spaces to smoke, heat, boil, or anything to do with high heat. There are fire extinguishers near the major cabin structures. Don’t spray people with fire extinguishers. Fire spinners will perform during the event- give them space and enjoy their beauty. Only burn if you have burning skills. The effigy will be lit sometime Saturday evening.
HELP- SOMEONE HELP ME
Medic services are for true emergencies. The medic area will be pointed out on the map. Booboos, cuts, bug bites and non- serious emergencies should not be reported to the medics. Respect the medical professional- they are volunteers as well. Ambulance services are 25 minutes away from the site. SAFETY 3rd, but safety home.
CONSENT (so good we did it twice)
NO means NO! ONLY Yes means Yes! Always ask. Do not do not assume consent. Recognize and respect people’s personal boundaries. People have different comfort levels with physical and emotional intimacy. Before you assume someone wants a big kiss, hug, or any touching to a new best friend, ask him or her. When someone says NO, it means NO. It also means that pleading, manipulating, harassing, or intimidating in any form is UNACCEPTABLE. Tips for maintaining your personal safety and well-being: ϖ Communicate with those around you about anything making you uncomfortable. ϖ You are in charge of your boundaries. You must be sober enough to be in control and say no. ϖ You must ask before photographing, videotaping, or recording anyone on any media. If you are asked to stop, you must do so immediately. ϖ Tolerate and respect your fellow participants by not interfering with their enjoyment, art, or expression. ϖ Remember: you are responsible for your own experience.
We thank you all for coming to Dragon Burn and we know that you will have a wonderful time. Respect yourself, respect others, respect the land, respect the rules. If you think you could help for next year as an organizer, please let us know. In order for the event to grow, our organizer team must also grow! We offer opportunities in all departments. NO experience? That’s okay, none of us know what we are doing either.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR CREW
Communal effort can mean many things- building art, LNT, or even just sharing resources. We sold the tickets in groups so that you would all work together! It’s best to share the responsibilities of camping with others. I.e sharing water, sharing cooler space, sharing food/beverages. We’d love to hear from you if you have a big group that have a “themed camp” with cohesion in decoration and/or offering to share on mass scale. Here’s a blueprint of a good camp dynamic:
The Nurturer- someone that is caring and nurturing. Has great costumes, and will make sure you drink enough water
The architect- this person understands camping, cooking, and spacial relations. Will know what to do when something goes wrong
The tank- this person can help carry water, or a 5- person tent. Athletic, funny, always down for a good time
The spiritual guide- feeling the vibe? always relaxed and can see the good in people? You have the power to bring people together and to fill their heads with happy thoughts. Knows where all the cool art is before the event.
The most important of all is to clearly set out all roles and responsibilities before the event. Organize your life- buy a label maker.
How to get involved (YOU’RE NEVER TOO LATE) guide
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/art-grants-for-dragon-burn-2016#/
CHRISTMAS BAR DONATIONS: Be a part of last year’s best art project- the free bar. For 2016 the Free bar project will be transformed into a mobile Christmas bar! We’re looking for donations of bottles of alcohol, mixers, wine, juice, etc add: deannamarie on we chat to give or bring to the event and find the mobile bar. The bar is not sponsored by art funds and can’t happen without your help!
VOLUNTEERING
Here is detailed info on the various volunteer positions we need each year to make Dragon Burn that wonderful, peaceful, and creative experience we all know it for. Positions are first come, first serve, and each pledge is made on good faith you will live up to it! Remember, one of the key qualities that separates a Burn event from all other festivals and events you’re used to is that PEOPLE COME WITH HOPES TO CONTRIBUTE, not just enjoy. When each person brings their own unique contributions, it makes the experience much more vivid and memorable. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all.
Greeters: Bus or Gate or Both
Greeters are the grinning face of Dragon Burn: A demographic sample, a community example. They are the First Contact for participants and ground zero for info related to Dragon Burn.
Greeters make the first impression. Greeting is the one and only chance to communicate with each and every participant on a one-on-one basis, mano-a-mano, facia-a-facia. Greeters are experts on such topics as “Leave No Trace.”
On top of this, greeters are there to be helpful in any way possible! This may be helping organize and set up tent spaces, informing the new citizens of all the important amenities and locations around the grounds, and/or simply providing hugs to those who look like they need them.
As a Greeter, the attention-getting possibilities are as endless as your imagination – and your stamina. Needless to say, creative educational techniques and other novel methods of communication are greatly encouraged.
Ideal Qualities
Energetic, dependable and informed Greeters with fabulous communication skills and the ability to relate to just about anyone. Qualified Greeters should be able to demonstrate an ability to recognize when (and how!) to exercise the recommended daily allowance of common sense. A modicum of patience and a good sense of humor never hurts.
Earth Guardians:
Earth Guardians inspire, inform and encourage our fellow Burn citizens to apply the Leave No Trace principles to life in our temporary home and to leave positive traces. Each year we try to think of ways to stimulate the Burning Man community to appreciate the our environment, embrace LNT and greener practices in their own creative ways. By focusing the community’s tremendous artistic, technical and spiritual energy, we can go beyond leaving “no trace” and leave instead, positive traces on the land.
MOOP patrol and outreach are main activities required by these individuals. It is encouraged to create your own MOOP bag to help identify you as an Earth Guardian (more info found at the link below). Earth Guardians will focus on informing and reminding fellow burners of the Leave No Trace principles. We will do MOOP patrols daily to keep the grounds clean and in good condition. If this position interests you then make sure you’re fully aware of what LNT means and that you personally love and uphold these ideals.
Bar Buds:
Usually a favorite amongst the volunteer positions, it seems everyone thinks they have what it takes to be a Bar Bud, or perhaps they just want to be as close as possible to the alcohol supply. Well regardless of your reasoning, we always need people helping organize and coordinate the enormous responsibility of connecting alcohol to fellow Burners. Please know, that to be a bar bud, we hope that you can help us collect free donations of alcohol and mixers before the event.
As you might imagine, this position does not require a mastery of technical ability, but it is useful to be friendly, fun, and engaging! Everyone likes a friendly bartender, and undoubtedly you’ll meet the bulk of fellow Burners as well. However, some other responsibilities will include monitoring of the bar area, which unsurprisingly can get a bit out of hand due to popularity, and knowing when to perhaps recommend that a Burner slow down or take care of themselves.
⼗项原则⻰焰 The 10 principles of Dragon Burn
Radical Inclusion 彻底的包容性
Anyone may be a part of Dragon Burn. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
任何⼈都可以成为⻰焰的⼀份⼦。我们欢迎并尊重新加⼊的成员。新成员 ⽆需任何条件便可加⼊
Gifting 馈赠
Dragon Burn is devoted to acts of generiosity. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
⻰焰致⼒于互赠礼物。礼物的价值在于⽆条件给予，并不要求回报或等价交换。
Decommodification拒绝商品化
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
为了保持给予的精神，我们团体努⼒争取营造⼀个良好的环境，在这⾥没有商业赞助，没有交易，也没有 ⼲告。我们时刻准备着保护⾃⾝⽂化不会受到商业⾏为的同化。我们抵制以消费代替参与经历的⾏为。
Radical Self-reliance 彻底的⾃⽴更⽣
Dragon Burn encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
⻰焰⿎励⾃我发现，锻炼并依靠⾃⾝⼒量。
Radical Self-expression 彻底的⾃我表现
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
彻底的⾃我表现来⾃每个⼈与众不同的礼物。除了⾃⾝或所在的团队以外，没⼈能决定⾃⼰要表现的内 容。这些⾃我表现以礼物的形式献给他⼈。在这种精神的指导下，给予⼈需尊重接受⼈的权利和⾃由。
Communal Effort 共同努⼒
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
我们社区注重创意合作。我们努⼒创造、推动并保护社会⺴络、公共空间，艺术作品以及交流⽅式，以此 来⽀持相互交流。
Civic Responsibility公民责任
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
我们重视民间团体。团体⼈员在组织活动时应意识到⾃⾝对社会公益负有责任，并努⼒向参与者传达这种 责任。他们还必须在遵守当地和国家的法律前提下进⾏活动。
Leaving No Trace 不留痕迹
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
我们团体尊重环境。我们承诺在我们离开时，活动场所不会留下任何物理痕迹。我们会⾃⼰打扫。如果可 能的话，我们会努⼒将此地保持原样，甚⾄更好。
Participation参与性
Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
我们社区拥有⼀个彻底参与性的信念。我们坚信，若想要改变，⽆论是个⼈改变还是社会变⾰，都必须依 靠⼈们的深度参与。为了得到，我们付出。我们邀请所有⼈来和我们⼀起⼯作,⼀起参与。通过敞开⼼扉的 ⾏动，我们让这个世界更加真实。
Immediacy 直接性
Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.
直接经验，在很多情况下是我们⽂化中检验价值的最重要标准。我们寻求不断突破障碍。，这些障碍存在 于我们⾃⾝和内⼼认知之间，存在于⾃⾝和现实之间，存在于⾃⾝和社会参与之间，存在于⾃⾝和⾃然界 之间。这种直接性参与是⽆法被替代的。