Chinese kung fu dance drama wows international audience

A dance drama featuring traditional Chinese kung fu that was staged in Beijing on the night of June 21 was warmly applauded by the diplomats from 29 countries who were in the audience.

The show was part of a series of cultural activities organized by Shenzhen to demonstrates the development of the city in southern China.

The dance drama Wing Chun, produced by the Shenzhen Opera & Dance Theatre, features five types of Chinese martial arts, including the well-known wing chun and tai chi and baguazhang, or eight fixed palms. It tells the story of the Chinese kung fu master Ye Wen.

The drama has toured China since its launch last year and has won great popularity and acclaim from audiences across the country. It has been especially popular with young audiences.

The diplomats showed they are still young at heart after they watched the performance in Beijing at Poly Theater on June 21.

"It was probably the perfect blend between traditional Chinese culture and a very inspiring, moving, personal story plus the technology which we can see displayed on stage," says Duarte Pinto da Rocha, deputy chief of mission at the Portuguese Embassy in China.

Luxembourg's ambassador to China Marc Hübsch and his wife Carole Hübsch-Tompers were also touched by the drama. The couple expected that one day it will be performed outside China to allow more audiences across the world to enjoy it.

"It is an incredible performance. The combination of contemporary dance moves and traditional cultural values, kung fu moves and so on. This is just something that I never saw before," says Marc Hübsch.

The drama is part of a series of cultural activities jointly held by the Publicity Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.

An event showcasing Shenzhen success stories and an activity inviting people to experience the traditional Dragon Boat Festival customs of the city were also held in Beijing.