1 KUNGFU SHOWS AT SHANGHAI EXPO

    Masters of Shao Lin and Wu Dang, two major schools of Chinese Kungfu, agreed to give a Kungfu show at Shanghai World Expo 2010.

    The two masters Thursday signed the contract with the Shanghai Expo organizer. According to the contract, the "Kungfu" show will be on stage during the Expo next year.

    It will be the first time that Chinese Kungfu staged in the 158 years history of the world expo.

    Shaolin, in cooperation with Chinese, Australian and German artists, has produced a 45-minute stage play that tells a story of the cultivation and growth of little Shaolin monks in four scenes of the four seasons in a year.

    The stage play, titled "Shaolin Temple: Saga of Warriors Monks," will be performed at designated theaters in Shanghai for two months during the Expo.

    In addition, Shaolin monks will present a total of 736 Kungfu shows in a period of half a year when the Expo is held, about four shows a day.

    SOUNDBITE (Chinese): Shi Yongxin, principal abbot of Shaolin Temple from central China's Henan province "The outdoor show will include Yijinjing, Baduanjing and Luohan exercises of Shao Lin. In Kungfu shows, Shaolin monks will carry out exchanges with spectators."

    For Wudang, which is well-known for being a holy land of Taoism and its "Taijiquan," a kind of traditional Chinese shadow boxing, the Taoists will present a total of 276 Kungfu shows, about three shows a day, from July to September of 2010. The show will deliver the Tao of "balancing" and Chinese traditional culture by three parts.

    SOUNDBITE (Chinese): Li Guangfu, president of Mt. Wudang Taoist Association from central Hubei province "We will show many Kungfu, such as Eight Trigram Palm, Xuanwu Quan, Xiaoyao Shan, and Xiaoyao Quan."

    The two masters both believed that the expo will be a bran-new stage for the world to know more about Chinese martial art and traditional culture.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]