On August 13^th, USTB-DMU Confucius Institute (CI) held a celebration of the World Wushu-Kungfu Day with the local International Taijiquan & Shaolin Wushu Association led by Sifu Derek Frearson at Green Dragon Square in the center of Leicester.

Around 8:30 a.m., the CI team, Sifu Derek, and his team began to gather with local Wushu-Kungfu enthusiasts at the square in various martial arts costumes. They brought equipment for martial arts and lion dance performances with flags and banners. The festival atmosphere was ready for the celebration.

USTB-DMU Confucius Institute Celebrates World Wushu-Kungfu Day

The celebration began at 9 o'clock with a brief thank-you note from Dr. YANG Yingjun, Director of the CI. Dr. YANG thanked Sifu Derek’s team and the Leicester City Council for their strong support and welcomed friends from local communities to participate in the celebration of the fifth World Wushu-Kungfu Day. He said: “the event is also part of the CI’s long-standing programs to support the UN SDGs-3 — Good Health and Well-being.” He took the opportunity to invite more friends to attend the CI’s regular free Saturday morning Tai Chi class.

The first performance was a collective Tai Chi, followed by a wonderful lion dance to the music of gongs and drums. It attracted more locals and the gathering became larger and larger. The other performances included three-section cudgel, sword dance, China-boxing ( Sanda ), and Tai Chi fan dance. The event lasted about 90 minutes and won bursts of applause from about 300 spectators.

The celebration has demonstrated that Wushu-Kungfu is one of the treasures of Chinese cultural heritage. Chinese martial arts encompass a variety of exercise forms that stress the advancement of both the internal and the external.

Draft: YANG Yingjun

Revision: YANG Yingjun