Trainees Take Acrobatics Skills Home
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Monday, August 27, 2018 CHINA 7 Around China Trainees take acrobatics skills home FUJIAN Dying man drives School in Wuqiao, Hebei province, has trained nearly 400 foreigners since 2002 coach to safety A bus driver, surnamed Chen, By ZHANG YU “Acrobatics is a universal who experienced severe chest in Wuqiao, Hebei art,” Qi said. “People from any pain while driving on an [email protected] place around the globe — expressway in Fuzhou on Aug young or old — can enjoy it, 13 died shortly after driving Another batch of trainee without barriers of language, his 12 passengers to safety. acrobats from developing politics or geography.” Chen phoned colleagues for countries left China this In addition to students help and drove for 30 minutes month after studying for a from developing countries along the YongchunFuzhou year at the Hebei Wuqiao who visit Wuqiao through expressway before stopping Acrobatic Art School. cultural exchange programs, the bus at a service station, Bilal Fofanah, 15, from acrobatics enthusiasts from which was safer than stopping Freetown, capital of Sierra countries such as the United on the side of the road. Chen, Leone, was one of them. He States, Finland, Mexico and about 50, collapsed after get said he was excited to be Bulgaria also enroll at the ting off the bus, and an ambu going home but sad to be leav school. lance crew was unable to ing Wuqiao county, in north “Somehow they had heard revive him. He had been a ern China’s Hebei province, about or watched Chinese driver for more than two dec which is regarded as the cra acrobatics and decided to ades. dle of Chinese acrobatics. come,” Qi said. FUZHOU DAILY The school has trained But problems have nearly 400 foreign students emerged as growing numbers GUIZHOU from 23 developing countries of international students Boy is bitten by since 2002, when a cultural acquire acrobatic skills from sneaky monkey exchange program was Two students from Africa practice on rotating Cyr wheels at the Hebei Wuqiao Acrobatic Art School. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY China. launched by the Ministry of Qi said most of the foreign A 2yearold boy had to be Culture and the Ministry of students arrived in China as rushed to the hospital for teta Commerce. However, con can perform amazing acro director of the school’s inter individuals, rather than as nus and rabies shots after he cerns have been expressed batic feats, such as juggling national exchange program, members of acrobatics was bitten by a monkey that about their career prospects hats and controlling a rotat said Tesfaye had used what he troupes, which made it hard had sneaked into his family’s after they leave. ing Cyr wheel. learned in China to found an er to sustain careers after they fourthfloor apartment in Gui Before Bilal arrived in “I like the feeling of per acrobatics school in his home left. yang on Aug 19. The child had Wuqiao, he was a middle forming on a stage when land that now has more than “Most acrobatics shows a 3centimeter gash to his school student who practiced audiences cheer and applaud 100 students and teachers. need to be performed by a head. His grandmother, sur hiphop dancing. “It was the my movements,” Bilal said. He “Tesfaye and his students team,” he said. “It’s hard for named Xu, said she ran from Chinese kung fu films I was keen to show people back have brought Chinese acro one student to carry out a the kitchen to the bedroom watched that attracted me home and in other countries batics to Africa and Europe in whole performance, which after hearing crying and found here,” he said, mentioning what he had learned, but said the past decade in circus tours makes it hard for the student the monkey attacking her martial arts stars such as he wished he could have and have performed various to find work with a circus and grandson. The animal, Jackie Chan. stayed in Wuqiao longer to acrobatics shows,” said Mu, easy for him or her to give up believed to be from a nearby He started to learn acrobat learn more. who has kept in touch with the career.” wildlife park, escaped through ics as a hobby at 13 when a “I miss home but I don’t Tesfaye. To tackle the problem and a window. Xu urged authori friend got to know an acrobat want to leave China,” he said. Qi Zhiyi, vicepresident of allow more acrobats have the ties to do more to control the and persuaded him they A foreign student hones her skills at the school. There were 35 internation the Hebei Wuqiao Acrobatic opportunity to learn Chinese park animals to prevent simi should learn together. al students — from Tanzania, Art School, who has been acrobatics, the Hebei Wuqiao lar incidents. Bilal said he thought acro Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and engaged in acrobatics train Acrobatic Art School is estab KANKANNEWS.COM bats were just as cool as mar ice he ached all over after is greatly valued and can be Laos — on his oneyear course ing for 34 years, said, “The tra lishing branches in foreign tial art stars, but his parents practicing basic skills like taught well in China,” he said. at the school in Wuqiao, ditional art form is one of the countries including Laos, disapproved. “They scolded somersaulting and hand Like other students, Bilal which attracts dozens of most important cultural Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. me for learning useless stands. started training at 8 am each international students each bridges connecting people “We will send acrobatic things, complaining that I Yet their attitude toward day and would spend about year. from countries across the teachers and cooperate with couldn’t bring any fortune to acrobatics changed when six hours a day practicing Ethiopian Yeneneh Tesfaye, world.” local counterparts to cultivate the family by performing Bilal was chosen for the one basic skills and different cir 35, was one of the earliest for He said Chinese acrobats skilled acrobats, especially acrobatics,” he said. year course in China. “They’re cus acts. eign students, studying acro are regarded as among the troupes,” Qi said. His parents also criticized supportive now because they Through hard work and batics in Wuqiao from 2004 to best in the world in terms of Students coming to Wuqiao him for not helping with the know I may have a future in willpower, after a year’s learn 2006. technique, performance as a team will also be pre housework, because as a nov acrobatics, since the art form ing and practicing Bilal now Mu Hongyuan, deputy design and apparatus. ferred, he said. Knowledge city shines as beacon of innovation Closer bonds formed at international forum By Chen Hong in Guangzhou improved transportation [email protected] network and efficient opera- tions, which ensure SSGKC The Sino-Singapore Guang- will be an ideal destination By Yuan Shenggao ate an international industry zhou Knowledge City is for investment,” the official innovation hub in the Guang- expected to attract a further added. The Sino-Singapore Know- dong-Hong Kong-Macao influx of dynamic investment SSGKC is designed to cover ledge Forum was held in the Greater Bay Area, the center and professionals — thanks a total greenfield area of 123 city-state at the Four Seasons is planned to be built at the to closer cooperation just sq km. But about half of the Hotel on Friday, when officials Sino-Singapore Guangzhou announced between the Lion area has been earmarked for and top executives from both Knowledge City and leverage city and the southern Chinese urban use, during the 15 to sides signed numerous agree- its research and development coastal province of Guang- 20 year development period ments. resources to achieve break- dong. from the 2010 ground-break- It was the first time that the throughs in core chip tech- Officials said SSGKC’s ing ceremony, while the oth- annual event has been held in nologies, local officials said. importance continues to er half will be preserved as Singapore. Previously, it had The Sino-Singapore Guang- grow, and the iconic project green spaces. been hosted in Guangzhou, zhou Knowledge City is locat- for Sino-Singaporean col- Ultimately, the knowledge Guangdong province for the ed in the Guangzhou Develop- laboration since 2010 will city will house a population past five years. ment District. soon be elevated to the sta- of 500,000 and become a As a flagship project of the The Guangzhou Develop- tus of a State-level bilateral vibrant place for all to “live, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou ment District Talent Work project. work, learn and play”, its Knowledge City, an example Group and the East Asian Situated at the heart of designers have said. of bilateral cooperation, the Institute at National Univer- Pearl River Delta Region and To date, the project’s start- SSKF is currently the only sity of Singapore also signed in a massive greenfield site in Ong Ye Kung, education minister of Singapore, delivers a keynote speech at the Sino-Singapore up phase, with an area of 6.27 high-level forum that is now a strategic cooperation agree- the southern city of Guang- Knowledge Forum in Singapore on Friday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY sq km, has been substantially taking turns to be held in Chi- ment during the meeting. zhou, SSGKC is widely seen completed. na and Singapore, its organiz- Both parties agreed to as a model and catalyst for According to official fig- ers said.