Zhanjiang art troupe visits Taiwan for culture exchanges

The Suixi Confucius Cultural City Troupe was invited to Taiwan from July 28 to Aug 4 for exchanges on Confucian culture and to give lion dance performances.

A total of 41 troupe members visited the Taiwan Changhua Confucian Temple, Tainan Confucian Temple and Taipei Confucius Temple to share their insights on Confucianism, a mainstream ideology in ancient China.

The ideology, which developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, puts a special emphasis on humanism and social harmony. It has played a significant role in shaping Chinese social relationships and moral thought.

Lion dances, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck, are another essential component of traditional Chinese culture. There are multiple versions of lion dances in different areas in China.

Zhanjiang is dubbed the Home of the Waking Lion Dance, which is unique for its agile, aggressive and challenging movements. The troupe pitted its skills against those of the Taiwan Dragon & Lion Dance Sports Federation, the Xinzhu Lianfeng Dragon & Lion Drum Group and the Hualian Leiting Earth Lion Troupe during the tour.

The troupe and the Taiwan federation signed an agreement to further develop their relationship.

According to the troupe's head the trip not only publicized Suixi's unique traditional charm but also boosted cultural cross-Straits exchanges.