My father’s side of the family originally came from Hong Kong. There is a dance called “舞狮 wǔshī” or otherwise known as the “lion dance” which is often performed with the “dragon dance” or “龙舞 Lóng wǔ”. However, the lion dance is the most popular and was developed first in Hong Kong. The lion dance originated in 1969 from its founder Kwok Snr who “instilled a deep love of the traditional art form in his son, who started learning lion dancing as soon as he could walk” (Chen). The lion dance was so significant because the lion itself is a symbol of good luck and is well known to chase evil spirits away. Also, as you already know, lions are strong meaning they possess much power which is what people saw in the lion during the dance; yet again a symbol of power and strength. In addition, the main colors of red and golden yellow means good fortune and good luck in almost every Chinese culture, which is also why the lion and dragon costumes are designed to have these two colors. 

Drums, cymbals, and a gong were used in the lion/dragon dances. The drums were played in a very specific manner to let the performers under the costumes know which movement should correspond with the specific beat. Also, in the same way, the performers under the costumes can communicate with the drummer through a specific gesture. One cymbal accompanies the drums to enhance the music either in crescendo or decrescendo. The gong was used to accompany the drum beats for the same purpose of enhancing the music. This genre of music of the lion dance is still used today in many Chinese music and even with the same type of main instruments, drums and a gong. The lion/dragon dance is always performed every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year so it has definitely become a part of the Chinese culture for quite some time now. 

Article link: https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2136591/lion-dancing-history-traditions-and-its-special-place