The Chinese Culture Festival has come to an end.The Long Yun Martial Arts Troupe performed in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The opening of the Chinese Culture Festival took place on 11 September at the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where the Chinese troupe presented the program Eleven Warriors. The event was included in the program of the China-Russia Years of Culture and became the highlight of the XI St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova welcomed the forum’s guests and participants. She emphasized that this was “a very important, beautiful, and momentous event not only for St. Petersburg but for the entire global cultural community”: “Representatives from almost every region of our country and 69 foreign countries have come to the Forum. St. Petersburg, as always, hospitably opens the venues of its cultural institutions to share the achievements of Russian culture. The culture of each country is unique, and we must respect and value the great cultural traditions of different countries and hold a dialogue in a respectful manner.”

Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Andrei Malyshev, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China Wang Jianhua and Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in St. Petersburg Luo Zhanhui cut the red ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Festival.

Before the show commenced, Fan Jing, Artistic director of the Long Yun Martial Arts Troupe and director of Wanxi Culture company, noted the intense cultural exchange between Russia and China: “We hope to see more Chinese performances in Russia and more performances by Russian companies in China in the future, so that Chinese and Russian audiences can understand each other better. I learned that another Chinese group recently performed in Moscow to great acclaim. I hope that Russian audiences will be able to understand our today’s show or just enjoy the presentation of traditional Chinese kung fu, tai chi, and so on.”

Created in the spirit of ancient Chinese traditions, the show displayed the history of kung fu – from the origins of the teaching to the most sophisticated modern techniques. Illustrating the action on stage, the titles of the five acts of the show appeared on the screen: Weapon, Soul, Mastery, Silence, and Celebration. Each of these concepts reveals the key element of martial arts that form the essence of kung fu. Having mastered each of the elements to perfection, the participants of the troupe demonstrated how deeply the principles of kung fu are rooted in the culture of their country.

The troupe’s performance was accompanied by Zhang Lu, a musician playing the Chinese musical instrument guqin. Zhang Lu is a laureate of numerous competitions, a member of the Professional Guqin Committee at the Association of National Orchestras of China, and a soloist of the Jun Tian Fang Musical Association (recognized by the Chinese government as an Organization for the protection of intangible cultural heritage at the national level).

Zhang Lu said that the guqin was invented more than three thousand years ago, but modern instruments now have nylon strings instead of the silk ones: this helps to produce a stronger sound. For the show, the musician chose two ancient Chinese songs – “one song is about friendship, the other – about water. There are so many rivers in China, and St. Petersburg is located on the Neva River… The guqin is able to imitate the sounds of water.” Zhang Lu also expressed hope that both kung fu and music played on the guqin will introduce Russian audience to Chinese culture.

The Long Yun Martial Arts Troupe of China was founded in 2006 by world-famous actor, director, producer, and martial arts master Jackie Chan. He personally selected eleven talented, creative, and experienced young people from millions of applicants studying and practicing kung fu all over China. The eleven fighters of the Long Yun Troupe cherish the fundamental nature of martial arts, through which they express their feelings and present kung fu as a unique artistry.

The troupe has already taken part in hundreds of shows and starred in dozens of films. Over the past three years, they have toured more than 60 countries. The ingenious skills of the Long Yun Troupe members have been highly appreciated all over the world and have received recognition from great masters.

The Chinese Culture Festival concluded with a performance in Moscow, where the Long Yun Martial Arts Troupe of China presented the Eleven Warriors program on the Main Stage of the Maly Theater.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Federal State Budgetary Cultural Institution ROSCONCERT.