NANNING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At the stadium of Tengxian Technical Secondary School in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, paper-mache lion heads swayed to rhythmic drums as a group of youths in yellow and red uniforms briskly strolled past the court, concluding their morning practice.
The campus, situated on the outskirts of the region's Wuzhou City, houses a world-class lion-dancing troupe. Consisting of 35 teenagers who are immersed in this traditional Chinese art dating back thousands of years, they have garnered numerous accolades in both national and international competitions.
The school's lion dancing program is headed by Deng Binguang, a 34-year-old Tengxian local who started his training as a professional lion dancer at a very early age and was crowned the "Lion King of the Orient" at 14 in Malaysia.
Deng later started his own business, setting up local dance troupes for various commercial shows and making and selling a panoply of lion dance costumes. With over 20 employees, the workshop that he set up in 2015 can log an annual sales of over 4 million yuan (about 562,453 U.S. dollars).
Lion dancing, a traditional Chinese art, has been deeply rooted in the local culture of Tengxian for centuries, with over 10,000 locals practicing this trade in over 500 amateur teams and over a dozen pro teams, according to Zhu Qichun, chairman of the county's lion dancing association.
"Nobody can top us in terms of featuring martial arts in the lion dancing," said Zhu. "Lion dancing stands as a hallmark of our county, having earned recognition as part of our intangible cultural heritage."
Tengxian practices the southern style of lion dancing, which, compared to their counterpart in the north, contains more acrobatic features, especially moves involving jumping between high poles, and it is considered a visually stunning feat of athleticism.
According to Deng, the act of climbing and performing on the tall poles is not only a display of physical prowess but also carries symbolic meaning, and the height of the pole represents overcoming obstacles and reaching new heights. It also serves as a demonstration of bravery and daring, traits that are admired in traditional Chinese culture.
"You want to make a move more forcefully without any hesitation," said Deng to one of his pupils who slipped a little when trying to balance the lion head during pole jumping. "Keep working on your arm strength until you can keep it steady," he said.
"We clenched the world champion title in 2004," said Zhu, adding that "despite the ebb and flow, we have never fallen out of the top three at the national level."
"We are hoping that our reputation in lion dancing can put our county's other offerings on the map," said Zhu, who, with the help of Deng's company, has been actively promoting the brand of Tengxian's lion dancing as well as some of the local agriculture produce, such as kudzu root and cumin.
As awareness of our brand grows, an increasing number of locals will reap the benefits, said Zhu.
"Practicing lion dancing teaches us, the dancers, to cooperate and trust our partner during practice and performance," said Mo Jinglong, a 19-year-old "lion head" who started his training as a professional lion dancer six years ago.
"It pushes us to go beyond our limits and persevere, especially in the face of adversity," said Mo. ■
