A group of martial arts students perform during "The Legend of Shaolin 2018" show in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Nov. 11, 2018. (Xinhua/Yi-Chin Lee)
Chinese Kung Fu (martial arts) is a perfect platform that connects Chinese and Americans and contributes a lot to diversified cultures of various communities in the Bay Area, organizers said Sunday.
The art of Chinese Kung Fu is part of the heritage of the splendid traditional Chinese cultural, which can be integrated with the diversified cultures of various communities in the San Francisco Bay Areas, said Chengfei Qian, one of the organizers of the Kung Fu Night gala that drew more than 500 audience in the Bay Area Friday night.
More than 200 Kung Fu Chinese and American practitioners, aged between five and 60 years old, from about 20 Kung Fu schools in the Bay Area staged a convivial and festive Kung Fu gala Friday night in Santa Clara, northern California.
The two-hour gala featured more than 20 performances with distinct skills and breath-taking fighting technique of many Chinese melee weapons such as swords, nunchaku, the monkey staff, machetes, double swords and spears.
Each of the participating Kung Fu schools, including Thunder Kungfu Academy, Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu, and Feishifu Kungfu, also displayed their own unique skills, such as combative form, competitive form and health-preserving Qigong.
All the performances followed the principle of "high quality, difficulty, beauty and innovation," and adopted the skills of dancing to highlight the visual effect, said Zhao Qingjian, director of the gala and champion of the Kung Fu event at the 2008 Beijing summer Olympic Games.
The gala was also joined by 10 teachers and students from China's Capital Institute of Physical Education, whose performance brought to life the magic and mysterious Chinese Kung Fu combat skills that has passed from Chinese Kung Fu masters hundreds of years ago.
Their finale show sent the gala night to a climax that won thunderous applause from the enthusiastic audience who cheered with joy and excitement.
"Many American people have shown genuine passion for Kung Fu and they were so fascinated about it that they were reluctant to leave the school even after the instruction time was over," Zhao said.
He added that more than hundreds of thousands of American people have learned Chinese Kung Fun in various Kung Fu schools in the Bay area over the past several decades.
"We're celebrating the cultural event here. Kung Fu is something that is not just Asia-related, but it really crosses its border. We're really excited to have it here in in Santa Clara tonight," said Santa Clara Vice Mayer Kathy Watanabe.
"Chinese Wushu is a treasure of Chinese traditional culture. With a long history, profound meaning and unique glamor, Chinese Wushu is well known in the world," Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua said in a letter to the organizers.
Organized by the Fuji Foundation and the American Shandong Chamber of Commerce, the event has been held five times in the Bay Area to promote the culture of Chinese Wushu, or Kung Fu, and bring the essence of Chinese Wushu to a larger overseas audience.
The organizers' efforts have won the recognition of California Assembly Member Kansen Chu.
In a certificate of recognition, Chu, on behalf of California State Assembly, commended their "dedicated efforts in our community to promote Chinese culture, martial arts and assist in Chinese American friendship."
