(ZHANG YUWEI)

Long Ma, a French-made mechanical creature, rears up with smoke billowing from its dragon's snout as it approached its robotic arachnid adversary during a performance in Beijing on October 17.

The event on October 17-19, mounted outside the Bird's Nest stadium that hosted the 2008 Olympics, was part of the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France.