Toys

Bamboo dragonfly

The first time a kid saw a bamboo dragonfly perched on someone's fingertip, their eyes went round: it stood still on its nose alone, long wings drooping, and when the hand swayed it only rocked gently. The secret is in the wings and tail, carved and weighted so that the balance point sits right at the nose.

Near Hà Nội, in Thạch Xá village below the Tây Phương pagoda, many families still carve and paint bamboo dragonflies. Ours ended up on pen tips, on the edge of the desk, even on the nose of the friend dozing next to us in class.

Do you remember? What was the trickiest place you ever balanced a bamboo dragonfly?

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