Dancers strike out to put Shenzhen on global stage

Wing Chun's weeklong tour of Russian theaters receives widespread acclaim

On the evening of May 1, thunderous applause reverberated around the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as the Chinese dance drama Wing Chun concluded its weeklong tour of Russia, marking another celebration of the 2024-25 China-Russia Years of Culture.

Created by the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre, Wing Chun began its Russian tour on April 25, performing three shows each at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theatre.

Blending martial arts with dance moves, Wing Chun features a main storyline focused on Wing Chun master Ip Man (1893-1972), who was Bruce Lee's mentor. The chronicle of how he overcame adversity and helped the downtrodden is juxtaposed with a secondary storyline, set nearly 50 years later, that follows a film crew in Shenzhen making a movie about the iconic kung fu style from South China. The crew embarks on a journey to bring Ip's story to life and realize their own dreams through the art of cinema.

The show features five types of Chinese martial arts including Wing Chun, tai chi and baguazhang, or eight-trigram palms. Originating from China's Lingnan region, which spreads mainly across Guangdong and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Wing Chun is prominently featured in the drama.

Directed by Han Zhen and Zhou Liya, known for their works Only Blue and Green and The Radio Waves That Never Die, the production breaks away from traditional dance drama formats, fusing cinematic storytelling with martial arts and dance moves through a twostranded storyline. This innovative approach has earned Wing Chun recognition for its artistic and cultural depth, embodying the pioneering spirit of Shenzhen.

Standing ovations

The production was a resounding success with Russian audiences, receiving standing ovations at every performance, according to EyeShenzhen, Shenzhen's official multilingual information portal. Critics and audiences alike lauded its artistry, touching performances and creative storytelling.

"I am shocked by what I saw," Konstantin Matveev, artistic director of the Boris Eifman Dance Academy, told EyeShenzhen. "The performance is great. Everything in it is perfect. The artists are surprisingly well-coordinated. They are real masters."

Drama critic Anna Konstantinova concurred, adding "It strikes me that this performance further confirms that movement, dance and the language of physical expression are universal and comprehensible to people everywhere on the planet".

Anna Belich, a Russian choreographer, said: "I think such performances are very important now. These performances help establish a bridge of mutual understanding between cultures."

Irina Viner, former president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that while everyone is familiar with kung fu, Wing Chun is the only production that can present it as an art form on stage.

Diana, a member of the audience, said she chose to watch the show because she wanted to see something new. "I'm a bit overwhelmed; I cried three times already (during the first part). It was incredible," she added.

Natalia, a professor at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, brought her mother to the show. She told Shenzhen TV: "The stage attracted me little by little ... I didn't want to stop watching. We were worried that we might not understand the story, but we understood it well. It was very beautiful."

Officials were likewise impressed. Olga Kazakova, chairwoman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Culture, said:" (The performers are) a group of absolutely incredible people. Even though they don't say a word, they tell everything with their bodies."

Nizami Mamishev, vice-chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, praised the show as a "wonderful gift" for local people.

"The performance combines martial arts and dance, showcasing the beauty and culture of the Chinese people to the fullest," Mamishev told EyeShenzhen.

The prestigious Bolshoi Theatre and Mariinsky Theatre are considered world-class art venues. Since its founding in 1776, the Bolshoi Theatre has witnessed the journey of Russian ballet from its nascent stages to brilliance, with its grand architectural style and superb acoustics making it a sought-after artistic destination for artists worldwide. Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake premiered there in 1877, and the Bolshoi Theatre's rendition is still considered one of the best versions worldwide.

The Mariinsky Theatre dates back to the 18th century, when Catherine the Great ordered the construction of a royal theater. The theater's modern facilities are highly praised and it is a core venue for the development of Russian dance and opera.

For Wing Chun to be performed at such top-tier art venues is both a testament to the production's quality and an opportunity for exchanges between the Chinese and Russian art communities, enhancing the visibility of Chinese performing arts.

Cultural exchange

The Russian tour marked the fourth international performance of Wing Chun following shows in Singapore in 2023, and in the United Kingdom and France in 2024. The tour fostered greater mutual understanding between China and Russia, enriching the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. On April 29, a rehearsal for the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War was held in Moscow, and the Guard of Honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was invited to attend. Against this backdrop, the tour of Wing Chun has spurred great enthusiasm for Chinese culture in Russia.

Kung fu has a large following in Russia. Alena Pavlova, president of the Association for the Advancement of Sinology in Russia, told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that kung fu is the No 1 symbol of Chinese culture in the eyes of Russians.

A 15-year-old Russian girl who has been studying Wing Chun for several years went to watch Wing Chun at the Bolshoi Theatre on April 25 with the head of her martial arts school. She told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that Wing Chun is beautiful not only as a fighting style, but also as an art form, and that the dance drama vividly showcases that beauty.

After demonstrating a series of skillful moves, a member of the audience told Shenzhen TV that he learned Wing Chun from a master in St. Petersburg, who learned it from a master in Foshan, Guangdong province. He went to Foshan in March to practice Wing Chun and visited Shenzhen, which he found to be a "very modern" city.

Feng Litao, minister counselor of the Chinese embassy in Russia and director of the China Cultural Center in Moscow, said the Wing Chun crew not only created their own history but will go down in the history of cultural exchanges between China and Russia.

Worldwide success

With its artistic and cultural excellence, Wing Chun has become a benchmark for artistic creation in Shenzhen, reflecting the city's cultural confidence and innovative spirit.

Since its premiere in Shenzhen in December 2022, Wing Chun has been staged around 240 times in 57 theaters and across 47 cities, receiving widespread acclaim.

Starting its overseas journey in Singapore in September 2023, Wing Chun garnered praise from over 40 diplomats stationed in Singapore and various figures from Singaporean society. Following this, the show ventured into the overseas performing arts market through commercial performances.

In August 2024, it was performed in London at the historic Sadler's Wells Theatre for nine consecutive days, staging 12 shows. With an average occupancy rate of 80 percent, it set a record for the longest duration and the most performances of any Chinese dance drama in Europe. In October that year, Wing Chun achieved a 97 percent occupancy rate in four performances at the Palais des Congres in Paris.

Through its overseas performances, Wing Chun has showcased the profound heritage and innovative spirit of Chinese culture to the world. Simultaneously, the drama has promoted the international image of Shenzhen as a "city of dreams, youth and technology".

After the performance in St. Petersburg on April 30, Mamishev on the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg spoke with the crew of Wing Chun during a backstage visit. He said: "Wing Chun perfectly complements the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre. Although I have never been to Shenzhen, through this production I feel that Shenzhen is a city with a rich cultural atmosphere and deep heritage, much like St. Petersburg," according to a Guangming Daily report.

On April 24, an event to promote the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a tourist destination was held in Moscow. Wing Chun was the opening program of the event.

Zhao Hong, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that Guangdong is developing the GBA as a world-class tourist destination in cooperation with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and the province looks forward to sharing opportunities with Russia and other international partners to jointly develop high-quality cross-border tourist routes.

She said they will take the 2024-25 China-Russia Years of Culture as an opportunity to promote cross-border dialogues between Lingnan culture, such as Cantonese Opera and lion dance, and Russian arts, such as ballet and symphony, in a bid to enhance mutual learning between the two regions.

During the planning stage of Wing Chun, Shenzhen had defined the production as a medium to spread traditional Chinese culture and conduct international cultural exchanges. In addition to organizing performances, Shenzhen hosts academic and promotional events on Wing Chun to deepen cultural communication. It also collaborates with companies such as BYD and Cathay Pacific to achieve cross-sector empowerment for the show.

huyuyan@chinadaily.com.cn