SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the evening of September 27th, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore held the National Day Reception at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay in Singapore to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Diplomats and envoys from over 40 countries, including the United States, Canada, Venezuela, and the Netherlands, attended the reception and watched the overseas premiere of the Shenzhen-produced dance drama "Wing Chun".
This is the first stop of Wing Chun's overseas tour. When walking into the theater that night, the plaque of "Wing Chun Store" with a strong Cantonese style soon came into view. Xiang Yun Sha silk, the fabric to make the exquisite performance costumes, and the potato juice used for making Xiang Yun Sha silk have attracted many audiences to take photos.
Three months ago, on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, 29 envoys to China and some representatives of international organizations watched the performance of Wing Chun in Beijing. After that, they invited the crew of Wing Chun to go overseas to enable people from more countries to have a better understanding of Shenzhen and experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture, according to Shenzhen Municipal People's Government.
Today, three months after the Beijing performance, Wing Chun officially headed abroad, choosing Singapore as its first stop.
Wing Chun, due to its prominent Chinese martial arts style, has become one of the Chinese symbols recognized by many foreign friends. After enjoying the performance on September 27th, Ms. Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador-at-Large with Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highly praised Wing Chun: "It was wonderful! It's balletic, it's acrobatic, and it's Kung Fu as well. It's a great fusion of styles."
As a phenomenal performance that has drawn a large audience and received highly favorable reviews in China, Wing Chun's heading abroad this time also took Singapore by storm. "We know how popular this dance drama is in China. It perfectly combines China's dual intangible cultural heritages of Wing Chun and Xiang Yun Sha silk, while also blending martial arts and dance seamlessly," said Ms. Qin Wen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore.
The dance drama Wing Chun, based on traditional Chinese culture, embodies the wisdom of the Chinese nation through the use of "bridging" in boxing techniques. Audiences from Singapore can not only appreciate the diversity of Chinese dance art in the new era, but also feel the charm of Chinese martial arts, which shows China's national spirit of promoting communication and exchange.
After the two-hour performance, many audiences spontaneously stood up, applauded, and took photos. Several foreign envoys expressed that Wing Chun contains typical Chinese elements and is an excellent medium for understanding Chinese culture. They also showed their expectations for Wing Chun to perform in more countries.
Now, Wing Chun is setting sail and going abroad. This Shenzhen artistic masterpiece, rich in spiritual connotation, aesthetic charm, and humanistic value, is telling Chinese stories in the new era to the world.
