Harbin - An eight-day overland voyage for the Tongliang Dragon spanning over three thousand kilometers across ten provincial regions, which set off from Chongqing with a convoy of intelligent Chang’an Qiyuan series vehicles, reached a spectacular finale on January 29 with a handover ceremony and fire dance held in sub-zero conditions at Volga Manor in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang.

This event, themed “Bashu Dragon Voyages Across China with Peaceful Blessings,” combined intangible heritage with intelligent EV technology, as the Chinese dragon produced by inheritors in Chongqing Tongliang will take part in Chinese new year festivities in Harbin, while Chang’an pitted their latest Qiyuan series vehicles against the challenges of long-distance travel and the harsh winter climate.

Over the past week, the convoy made high-profile stopovers in the major cities of Hanzhong, Xi’an, Luoyang, Taiyuan, Handan, Tianjian, and Shenyang in a relay form that has captured the attention of 80 million netizens who followed the voyage across China, with many becoming avid fans of the Tongliang Dragon culture as it spread auspicious wishes for the public en route.

Despite the local weather forecast promising temperatures as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius, participants and visitors enthusiastically attended the handover event in Volga Manor outside Harbin, a popular 4A resort themed on Russian culture and exchange. Following the indoor handover ceremony, guests were treated to a breathtaking live performance of Two Dragons Play with Pearls, which featured bright sparks of molten iron that rained down to convey blessings for the Spring Festival.

Yang Qingjia from the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development commented live on the scene that as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items, the Tongliang dragon has become a popular name card for Chongqing Municipality and representative of Chinese dragon culture nationwide.

“We hope to use this event to promote a two-way exchange in culture and tourism between Chongqing and Heilongjiang. We welcome friends from Northeast China to visit Chongqing when the springtime blossoms are in full view, admire the incredible scenery of Mountain City, and savor the local hotpot,” Yang explained.

Li Guoliang, Brand Director of Chang’an Qiyuan, traveled with the convoy for each leg of the journey and proudly told WCICO how their entire fleet of intelligent connected EV vehicles completed the overland mission, with zero incidents or malfunctions reported.

While the voyage may have ended for the Tongliang Dragon, Chang’an Qiyuan will embark upon a new challenge towards Qiqihar, Hulunbuir, and finally, Mazhouli on the border with Russia, as they aim to display the outstanding abilities of AI-powered smart digital technology in the ice plains of Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, where a fleet of 35 vehicles will meet some of the lowest temperatures and harshest winter environments nationwide.

(Cheng Jialu contributed to this video and article as a trainee)