Wudang leader meets with Japanese delegation

Li Faping, vice-mayor of Shiyan city, Central China’s Hubei province, met with a Japanese tai chi delegation led by Mr. Kawaguchi, undersecretary of Nagasaki sports, at the Wudang Mountains tourist attraction on June 5, wudangshan.gov.cn reported.

The two parties discussed exchange and cooperation on taijiquan. Zhou Jihong and Yang Danhua, deputy directors of Wudang management committee, also attended the meeting.

Li welcomed the delegation. He said that Shiyan boasts the world-renowned Taoist holy mountains, Wudang Mountains and Danjiangkou Reservoir, the central route source of the south-north water diversion project. The city also has the headquarter of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co, which ranks first in China and in the top three in the world.

Wudang Mountains is a national 5A tourist spot in China. It is the birthplace of tai chi and enjoys popularity at home and abroad for its natural scenery, Taoist culture, martial arts and ancient architectural complexes.

Li also said that frequent travel between Wudang Mountains Airport and Nagasaki Prefecture promoted friendship and contributed to the development of tai chi.

Kawaguchi said that tai chi is popular in Nagasaki. Thousands of people like the form of martial arts, and many non-governmental tai chi organizations have been established.

During Spring Festival 2014, Wudang Wushu Association visited Japan for the Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which was welcomed by local government bodies and tai chi organizations. The two parties are expected to continue the exchange on tai chi.

The Japanese delegation watched a Wudang martial arts performance and visited the Wudang Geological Museum. They also invited Wudang Wushu Association back to the 2015 Nagasaki Lantern Festival and to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Japanese national health conference.

Hubei province and Nagasaki Prefecture established ties in October 2011. So far, Wudang Wushu Association and Nagasaki have carried out eight exchanges on tai chi.

Li Faping (right), vice-mayor of Shiyan city, meets with a tai chi delegation from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, on June 5. [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The Japanese delegation visits Wudang Geological Museum on June 5. [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Group photo of representatives from Wudang Mountains and Nagasaki Prefecture [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Edited by Nelly Min and Le Qin