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This year DDA were again invited by the British Consulate’s Cultural and Education Section school links department to sponsor their annual summer school in Shanghai and organize some activities for the UK participants.
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As in 2007, we again donated Taiji uniforms for the 90 UK students and teachers, which they wore for their daily classes in Taiji Quan and Taiji Fan forms.
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The 70 students, aged between 13 – 17 and their 20 UK teachers were accompanied for most of the 2 week-long summer school by their middle school counterparts from Jincai International school, who co-host the event in Shanghai in partnership with the British Council.
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This year, the activities of the summer school were based mostly in Shanghai and consisted of a variety of activities and courses in Chinese culture, including lessons in calligraphy, painting, Kunqu Opera and Chinese. In fact some of the students already learn Chinese back in the UK and coming to Shanghai is a chance for them to improve their language skills, learn more about the culture and gain a deeper understanding of another way of life.
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DDA is fully committed to helping mutual understanding and communication between cultures and peoples and so is always very happy to support the British Council’s annual event, which gives people from both backgrounds a real inside look into another culture and lifestyle.
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This year, DDA organized a lecture and tour of the Shanghai Seismology Centre in Pudong. After the earthquake in Wen Zhou, Si Chuan province, people around the world have been following the news and contributing to the help and rebuilding of the area.
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So, it was extremely topical for the UK and Chinese students to have the chance to visit the Seismology Bureau and listen to one of the bureau’s seismologists about the role of the Seismology Centre, how earthquakes happen and some details about the Wen Zhou earthquake.
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Following the lecture, DDA organized a self defence seminar, inviting six of Shanghai’s top masters to teach the group of 160 students and teachers a variety of self defence techniques from 6 different martial arts systems.
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Masters Wu Mao Gui, Ni Zeng Zhao, Liu Ji Fa, Liu Hong Cai, Ren Gang and Wang Ming Bo taught techniques varying from Chinese wrestling lifting and throwing techniques, Taiji leg tripping, Tong Bei combination strikes, Wu style Taiji push hands techniques for deflecting and redirecting incoming strikes, joint locks and pressure points.
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The seminar which lasted for over 2 and a half hours ended with a lighthearted competition, with volunteers from each of the eight schools demonstrating some of the techniques learned, with the winner being awarded the prize of a Taiji straight sword.
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The winning team were three boys from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, who demonstrated wrestling techniques taught by Master Ni, wrist joint locks taught by Master Ren Gang, pressure points taught by Master Wang Ming Bo and leg tripping taught by Master Liu Hong Cai.
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Their lively and active performance greatly impressed the masters, as did all the students’ performances, and the spirit and enthusiasm displayed by all the participants helped to make the event a resounding success.
Some of the students were so impressed by the masters that they immediately invited them to come to the UK to teach!
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DDA would also like to thank the DDA assistants, which included many of Rose Oliver’s Chinese university students and colleagues, who came to the event to act as translators and assistants to the masters and Rose, and helped with the smooth running of the event.
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The 17 assistants worked really hard, but also felt it was a wonderful opportunity to practice their English, meet new friends and have a genuine cultural-exchange experience!
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At the closing party on the 31st July at the British Council offices, to which DDA representatives Rose Oliver, Ren Gang and Wang Ming Bo were invited; Rose also presented the 9 UK volunteer performers with a book of Chinese paintings by the artist Ren Yao Yi, as a small token for their wonderful performances from the self defence activity.
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The farewell party, which was attended by the UK school students and teachers, plus the representatives and teachers from Jincai School, was a very pleasant evening and a chance for everyone to chat informally and exchange their own experiences and feelings about the time spent together at the Summer School Immersion Course.
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The following day, Rose Oliver was invited to join the Summer School closing ceremony, where each of the participating UK school performed a short “play”, including some of the things they’d learned whilst here and some of the key parts of the course that they’d enjoyed most.
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Many of the students demonstrated some of the techniques they’d learned at the self defence seminar, as well as scenes from Kunqu opera, Taiji sequences and Fan forms which they’d learned every morning.
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It was a very enjoyable and moving ceremony and I’m sure that everyone will have made life-long friends with their partners at Jincai School and will be a cherished memory for all the students who took part.
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The summer school which ended on 1st August was a great event and one which DDA are proud to have taken part in, we look forward to next year with much excitement and wish all this year’s participants a very happy and safe journey home and hope that they will keep up their practice in Chinese martial arts!
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