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中国力争架起中外文化桥梁

这是一场不寻常的演出。它展示了东方艺术的魅力。 精美的服饰,异国情调的音乐,充满青春活力的技能,中国艺术终于抓住了西方观众的心。去年,少林僧侣的演出《生命的轮回》被抢购一空。像《卧虎藏龙》和《大红灯笼高高挂》这样的电影在全球范围内影响很大,天津大学的武术队也渴望向西方展示在40多种一般人没见过的的武术形式,如 “范子拳”,太极鹰爪 等,该团队员由省市内获过奖的青年冠亚军组成,好莱坞武术电影明星李连杰的老师吴斌是该团队的顾问。

应刘莉(Liu Li Wood)邀请,这个队将在英国14个城市和地区巡回演出,2月25日在威尔士RHYL的PAVILLION 剧院,27日在ABERYSTWYTH的艺术中心。经过在英国的学习和生活体会,刘莉感到中国的很多艺术文化在英国仍然是个谜。她相信英国观众会对这个表演感兴趣。

刘莉说:“在威尔士很少人了解中国及其文化。这将是一个机会,让大家看到东方武术比功夫电影中所见过的形式多。这些年轻人将展示40多种带或不带武器的武打套路。不全涉及攻击。武术比少林拳动作更有审美感。”      队员们都是第一次到英国,大家对周围威尔士山水充满了兴趣。

武术,即搏击艺术,是可以追溯到几千年前。它最早用来促进健康,治愈疾病,延长寿命和训练军事技能。此后,武术发展成为一种自律的踢脚,手砍,臂掷等技巧形式的独特结合。据刘莉介绍,有使用武器的和徒手搏击,武器包括九种长臂和九种短臂,例如刀,矛,剑和棍棒,构成了18形式。与此形成鲜明对比的是,大学团队还展示了可以用于治疗疾病和增强体质的太极拳。

在过去的三个世纪中,太极拳已流东南亚,日本,欧洲和美国。尽管看似毫不费力地运动顺畅,但实际练习中对肢体如何运行其要求还是很高的。此外,演出还将传统故事融入表演中,以提高观众的兴趣。

刘莉生长在中国南方昆明, 小时候曾学过武术。她说: “我小的时候, 武术你练习非常普及。经常和小伙伴们在公园里练武。新中国成立后,武术成为了一项职业训练。刘莉还说,虽然她练得不错,但是强中还有强中手,只有最好的武术队员才能进入职业训练。于是她进入曼城学习信息管理。毕业后她很希望用自己的双语能力做一些中英文化方面的交流。她从小就喜欢舞台表演和创作,相信艺术是没有边界的,文化交流是最好的路径促进民族之间的友好和理解。

Chinese Fighting Talk to Bridge the Culture Gap By Penny Fray

A Chinese martial arts team is heading for Wales to show-off their elaborate fighting skills. Dressed in red robes and armed with metre-long sticks, a dozen Chinese fighters fly through the air and land on a sea of blue mats with cat like agility. Battle commences and audiences look on in wonder as the young men and women carry out breathtaking leaps twists and air-kicks. This is not your usual theatre fare. But production teams have finally realised the fascination eastern traditions hold. Their elaborate dress, exotic music and age old skills, have finally put Chinese arts in demand.

Last year, the Shaolin Monks’ wheel of life tour was a sell out . While the global impact of films like Crouching tiger hidden dragon and Red lantern have been great. No wonder the Tianjin University’s Wushu team are so eager to show the West more than 40 little known forms of martial arts widely practiced in their homeland. These techniques include Fanzi Boxing,TaiJi and Eagles Claw. The team is entirely made up of national youth champtions while their senior instructor, Wu Bin also coaches Hollywood’s latest martial arts film star Jet Li.

Bought over to Wales by local impresario Liu Li Wood, they are about to embark on a 14 date tour, visiting Rhyl’s pavilion Theatre on February 25 and Aberystwyth’s Art center on the 27th. After years of studying and living in Britain, the arts promoter feels that aspects of Chinese culture remain a mystery. She is confident that such shows as Wushu will appeal to the public because of the performers unique skills.

“Not many people in Wales know about the Chinese and their culture” says Liu Li, “This will be an opportunity to see that there is more to Eastern martial arts than what you see in Kung Fu films. These youngsters will be showing off more than 40 types of fighting styles both with and without weapons. But it’s not all about attacking. Their movements are graceful and full of artistry”. This is their first time in Britain and members of the group are rapidly learning about their new surroundings. Some speak English and all are interested in the rich landscape of their host country.

Wushu, or the art of fighting, is a time honoured sport in China which stretches back several thousand years. In its earliest form it served as a means to build up health, cure diseases, prolong life and train military skills. Wushu has since developed into a unique combination of self-discipline and skill forms such as kicking , chopping and throwing. According to Liu li, it involves practice with weapons as well as standard bare hand fighting. Weaponry includes nine kinds of long arms and nine short, such as knives, spears, swords and clubs, which constitute the 18 types of martial arts. In marked contrast, the university team also demonstrate the Taiji Quan exercises which are used for healing illnesses and strengthening the constitution. Over the past three centuries, the popularity of the Taiji Quan (commonly know in the West as Tai-Chi) has increased and spread far beyond China’s borders to South East Asia, Japan, Europe and America. Despite the seemingly effortless fluidity of movement, the practice can be quite physically demanding. They have also incorporated traditional stories into the show, to keep audiences interest as the martial demonstrations are staged.

Liu Li, who used to be a martial arts practitioner herself, realising that she could not make the professional grade, she decided to focus her attention on the arts instead. “When I was growing up in Kunming, south China, Wushu was a popular activity,” she explains. “Almost every child I knew would practice in the local parks after school due to the Emperors decree.” Since the founding of the Peoples republic of China Wushu has become part of the socialist culture and individuals physical education and sports has developed spectacularly. Statistics show there are more than 100 schools of Chinese Boxing alone. And with competition in the field so great , only the creme de la creme go on to win awards and appear on the international stage. “ Although I was better than average I wasn’t good enough to make the grade. I went on to an acdemic path  study”. Liu Li  is eager to utilise her bilingual skills to do something to bridge the gap between western and eastern cultures. “ This is such an ideal job for me” she says “ I feel at home in the theatrical arena, having spent most of my spare time acting and directing in the past. “I believe that art has no borders. The exchange of art and culture is the best way to bridge the gaps and promote appreciation and love between nations”

爱国爱武术

来自中国的优秀武术团队将在下个月访问英国,这要归功于中国企业家刘莉的辛勤工作。 她成立了MsL表演艺术交流公司,她带来的天津理工大学的武术队将于2月22日在NEWPORT艺术中心开始第一场演出, 将在英国14个城市地区巡演。

刘莉小时候在中国曾练过武术,意识到自己不会达到专业水平,她就将注意力集中在大学业和事业上。 来到英国后,读了商业管理,希望利用自己的双语技能来做一些中英文化交流事务,在培训和教育组织Elwa的支持下,她成立了自己的公司MsL。 获得了ELWA的2000英镑的培训补助金,Elwa还支持一对一的英语训练,提高她的英语商务语言,她说这对专业开展业务至关重要。

她强调说,她从Elwa那里获得的帮助对于她的事业起步非常宝贵。  Elwa的业务主管Peter Melanefy也表示,他相信,在帮助刘莉女士,他的组织实现了支持个人,企业和社区的三个主要目标。他们帮助她成立了一家企业,这有望创造未来的工作,我们也支持国际社会之间的文化交流。

A BLACK-BELT martial arts team from China is to tour the UK, thanks to a Chinese entrepreneur Liu Li, who has formed her own Llandrindod Wells-based performing arts promotion company, is bringing the TianJin university of technology  Wushu team to Wales and England for a 14 venues tour.

Ms Wood used to be a martial arts practitioner herself when she was growing up in China, but realising that she would not make the professional grade, she decided to focus her attention on her academic studies and her business future.  Spotting an opportunity to use yer bilingual skills to organise cultural exchanges with her homeland, she set up her own promotions company – MsL , with support from training and education organisation Elwa.  As a returned to the labour market she qualified for a £2000 training grant under ELWA’s self-employed Compact scheme and attended business studies start-up course at business Connect Heart of Wales, also in Llandrindod. Elwa is also supporting one -to -one tuition to improve her English business language, which she says has been vital for conducting the business professionally. With the Tianjin university martial arts team ready to tour the UK, Ms Wood is now working hard to introduce many more Chinese performers to UK audiences.  She stressed that the help she received from Elwa was invaluable in helping her get started.

Peter Melanefy, Elwa’s business support executive said he believes that in helping Ms Wood the organisation achieved its three main aims of supporting individuals, business and communities. “We have supported her with advice and funding for personal development, we have helped to set her up in a business, which will hopefully create future jobs and we are supporting a cultural exchange between international communities,” he said.