Wudang kung fu amazes Moscow military music festival

The 2014 Moscow International Military Music Festival kicked off at Red Square at 7 pm Aug 30, local time. More than 20 military bands and groups from 10 countries performed in the opening ceremony, among which a Wudang kung fu troupe greatly impressed the audience.

The performance, called “Tai chi”, was acted out by a group of 110 members after months’ of creation, choreography, and rehearsal. It cleverly integrated traditional Taoist rituals and Wudang martial arts by combining the performance of a Taoism guard of Honor and a kung fu team. All the details, including the formation of the group, costumes, and stage properties, all exuberate the charm of tai chi.

A Wudang kung fu troupe gives the performance of “tai chi” at Red Square in Moscow on Aug 30, 2014. [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

In Russia, quite a number of people are interested in Taoist culture and Wudang kung fu. Many Taoist classics have been translated into Russian. Political officials in Russia, including the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev quote the Taoist aphorism a lot when stating their opinions. The Wudang “tai chi” program was elected from a program list provided by China for the military music festival.

Khalilov, conductor of the Russian Defense Ministry military band, said that the military music festival attracted many outstanding performance groups such as those from Switzerland, Mexico, and China. He added that China’s Shaolin monks have attended the festival on two occasions and the Wudang performance this time will definitely bring a different experience to audiences.

In the coming seven days, the Wudang kung fu troupe will give 17 performances in Moscow’s Red Square . Yin Hanning, head of the Chinese Delegation for the Moscow event, said that the Taoist culture and tai chi culture have profound connotations and the martial arts performance shows off to the world China’s ancient civilizations and cultural charm. It will also upgrade the international image of Hubei province, as well as build up friendship among people in China and Russia.

Contributed by Wang Liang and Jiang Yuanbo from Wudang Mountains Tourism Bureau