Recently, students of Wuhan University Art Troupe, selected by the headquarters of the Confucius Institute, performed seven tours across Europe, presenting dances with the characteristics of Chu Culture, folk music, folk songs of Tujia ethnic groups, and in particular, well-prepared German operas, which have been enthusiastically received by local audiences.
After a long flight and a short break, in the evening of September 21, the WHU Art Troupe premiered at Burg Gymnasium in Essen, Germany. Their skilled performance demonstrated full engagement precision, and artistic commitment, occasionally receiving thunderous applause from 300 audiences. When the curtain fell, local student who attended the performance came to present bouquets, and the school’s principal Sikong Peiyan commented in heartfelt remarks that “all the audiences were moved by the professional spirit of Chinese students, and were overwhelmed by the superb skills of these students, who participate in artistic pursuits in addition to their primary academic work in other fields of study. We hope that there will be more opportunities for us to cooperate and communicate with students from Wuhan University.
September 26th is the memorial day of Confucius Institute around the world. That evening, Graz, a small town in Austria, became a palace of art. Members of the WHU Art Troupe performed in the central open square of Graz, attracting many citizens from the city of music. YUAN Yiqun, an undergraduate from the School of Economics and Management, performed three songs in different styles on the pipa, also known as the Chinese lute, a traditional plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard. She expressed her excitement: “I have learned to play pipa since I was pretty young, but it is amazing to go abroad and play pipa for so many foreign friends. How wonderful this first experience is!” Under the moonlight, a 12-year-old German girl danced with the music, immersed deeply in the beautiful rhythm of traditional Chinese instruments.
Members of the WHU Art Troupe celebrated the 66th National Day in a festive atmosphere abroad on October 1st. The performers visited the University of Luxembourg to present many wonderful shows, expressing their deep love for China and promoting its splendid culture through songs and dances. On the same day, M.L. Nice, Vice-President of University of Luxembourg, and Lady Fan Wentong, madame of the Chinese Counselor in Luxembourg city, attended shows and spoke highly of the exemplary performances. WHU Art Troupe members enjoyed singing and dancing with enthusiasm, sending their best wishes to the motherland through poetic melody on an unforgettable National Day.
On October 2, the tour came to a close with a performance at the University of Trier. An audience of more than 200 gathered in the music hall, decorated in a typical European style, and watched the performance with great delight. The tour in Europe concluded with lively folk music entitled “Xi yang yang” (“Jubilance”). After the show, students from the two universities met to communicate and exchange ideas. “We are honored to receive warm applause and respect from our foreign friends,” said DI Danru, an undergraduate from the School of Information Management. “Through the communication with German college students, I feel so proud of being Chinese. A sense of mission has become stronger, and this precious experience will never be forgotten in my life.”
During the tour, the Wuhan University Art Troupe visited the Confucius Institute jointly established by Wuhan University and Duisburg Essen University in Germany, and participated in a discussion forum with their teachers and volunteers.
Since Wuhan University Art Troupe was founded, it has been frequently invited to participate in many large-scale engagements domestically and internationally. This tour is an integral part of the planned visits to Confucius Institute headquarters, and follows other international performances in U.S. and France in 2009. In recent years, the WHU Students Art Troupe has participated in many high profile variety shows and has presented world-class performances abroad in a number of competitions, winning first prize in the National University Students Art Performance two times. The group has thus gradually evolved into one of the most influential, preeminent and outstanding university student art troupes in China.
(Rewritten by Yijie Huang, Edited by Editing Group, Gretchen & Sijia Hu)
