On 11 September the Festival of Chinese Culture will open in St Petersburg at the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and will continue on 15 September in Moscow at the Main Stage of the Maly Theatre.
The festival is part of the programme for the Russia–China Year of Culture and will form a highlight of the XI St Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures. Events are presented with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and ROSCONCERT. The Chinese martial arts troupe Long Yun was founded in 2006 by the world-famous actor, director, producer and martial arts master Jackie Chan, who personally selected eleven talented, creative and highly skilled young performers from among millions of kung fu practitioners across China. Eleven Warriors of the Long Yun troupe honour the essence of martial arts, expressing emotion through movement and presenting kung fu as a unique artistic discipline.
In St Petersburg and Moscow the troupe will present Eleven Warriors, a programme consisting of five acts – Weapons, Spirit, Mastery, Silence and Celebration. Born of ancient Chinese traditions, the production traces the story of kung fu from its philosophical origins to its most refined contemporary techniques. Mastering diverse forms of Chinese martial arts, the troupe reveals the depth with which kung fu is rooted in the culture of their homeland. The central idea: the purpose of combat is to defend and to overcome – but martial practice becomes art only when discipline is transformed into a structured way of learning that transcends aggression. In fact, the literal meaning of “kung fu” is not “combat” but “the pursuit of skill and perfection”.
The troupe has already appeared in hundreds of performances and featured in dozens of films. Over the past three years alone it has performed in more than sixty countries. Their original artistry and mastery have been acclaimed worldwide and recognised by leading martial arts masters.
The programme will also feature Zhang Lu (guqin), a soloist of the Jun Tian Fang Music Ensemble, which has been recognised by the Government of China as a national intangible cultural heritage organisation. Zhang Lu is a laureate of numerous competitions (including the Third Yulong Yangchun Guqin Competition) and a recipient of prestigious scholarships such as the National Scholarship. She is a member of the Guqin Professional Committee of the Chinese National Orchestra Society.
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