First formal Chinese martial arts program, for Africans, started at Shaolin Temple

Chinese Translation of the Week

On September 25, the "Shaolin Kung Fu Training Class for African Disciples", held by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the Henan provincial department of culture, was officially launched at Shaolin Temple. Twenty Kung Fu lovers from Africa started their journey of martial arts and Zen culture in Henan, China.

本报讯 （记者刘 洋 实习生康亚飞）拳风阵阵，喊声震天。20位来自非洲的少林文化爱好者在嵩山少林寺开始了习武修禅的历程。9月25日，文化部委托省文化厅在少林寺举办的"非洲武术学员来华培训班"正式开班。

This article has been translated from Chinese. Click here to read the original version on Sohu News.

As a part of the implementation of the "Beijing Action Plan" carried out after the 5th ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), this training program aims at strengthening efforts to promote human resource training in Africa. It is also an important component of the "2013 African Cultural Focus" program. Coming from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Mauritius, the twenty African disciples were elected by their embassies based on their martial arts skills. They will live and study at Shaolin Temple for three months. In the future, Kung Fu lovers from all over the world will have access to formal training at Shaolin Temple through programs held by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture.

According to Zhao Haisheng, Deputy Director-General at the Ministry of Culture, Shaolin Temple is a sacred place in the eyes of Chinese Kung Fu lovers, and the Shaolin culture is a bridge connecting the people of Henan Province with the world. This training program embodies the guiding principle of Chinese-African cultural exchange, which is "to promote political equality and mutual trust, to facilitate economic cooperation and win-win outcomes, and to enhance cultural exchange and mutual understanding." It also has symbolic meaning and reinforces cultural cooperation between China and Africa. Haisheng hopes that disciples will become envoys of Chinese-African friendship, and make contributions to the advancement of human civilization.

In recent years, Henan Province has organized many programs and performances in response to national diplomatic strategies to enhance the friendly relationship between China and Africa via cultural exchanges. With versatile performers of Shaolin Kung Fu, acrobatics, local opera and folk music, the Henan Art Troupe has performed many times in Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and other African countries.

Article translated by Laiyin Yuan, Staff Intern for the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center.

Photo attribution to the China Daily.