First South Africa Wushu Invitational Tournament of Confucius Institute Formally Opens

On January 12th local time, the Wushu Culture Day for the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between China and South Africa & the First South Africa Wushu Invitational Tournament of Confucius Institutes, sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of South Africa, Confucius Institutes in South Africa , the Chinese Consulate-General of in Johannesburg, and the South African Wushu Federation and organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg, officially kicked off, with “Carrying forward the Chinese Wushu culture and promoting cultural exchanges between China and South Africa” as its theme.

Zheng Wen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa

Tshilidzi Marwala and Jurgens Lamprec painting the eyes for the dance lions together

Zheng Wen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice Chancellor at the University of Johannesburg and Jurgens Lamprec, Chairman of the South African Wushu Federation addressed the opening ceremony on that day respectively, wishing the tournament a complete success. Other people who attended the event included Wang Daoyu, Head of the Educational Section of the Chinese Embassy, Ren Xiaoxia, Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Johannesburg, Yin Fulin, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg, and David Monyae, Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg. In addition, Tshilidzi Marwala and JurgensLamprec painted eyes for the dance lions together, and watched the superb performance given by the lion dance team and the Wushu team of the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg together with the audience.

Competitors

The lion dance performance

The Wushu performance on the spot

The Wushu performance on the spot

The Wushu performance on the spot

The Wushu performance on the spot

The rules of the International Wushu Federation are adopted in the invitational tournament and nearly 50 participants from across South Africa will participate in 36 events. The host hopes that the invitational tournament can be turned into a national Wushu game which is held on a constant basis in South Africa to introduce Chinese Wushu culture in the country and improve the friendship between the two countries.

Guests and Wushu athletes

The Chinese Wushu culture enjoys a long history while the friendship between China and South Africa grows ever stronger now. Through this tournament, participants can make a lot of friends through the sport. With Wushu serving as the bridge and bond for cultural exchanges between China and South Africa, more and more people will be fascinated by Chinese Wushu, and then fall in love with Chinese culture.

(Story and photos by Wang lei, people.com.cn in Johannesburg, January 12th)