Chinese dragon parades in Australia date back to the 1890s, when Cantonese immigrants and their descendants in Victoria bought processional dragons. The first, the Duck Bill dragon, was imported to Bendigo from southern China and paraded from 1892 to 1898. Communities also loaned the dragons for fundraising for hospitals and Federation celebrations, and the tradition became part of local civic life rather than only religious practice. Three Federation-era dragons from this period survive, which makes them among the oldest surviving imperial dragons in the world. In China, the tradition nearly died out during the Cultural Revolution.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.