IWUF Congratulates Taijiquan Entering UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

IWUF Congratulates Taijiquan Entering UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

The International Wushu Federation （IWUF） hailed UNESCOs decision to include taijiquan in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 16， 2020.

“Taijiquan is one of the most important wushu events promoted by the International Wushu Federation. Its inclusion is of great significance to the promotion of wushu， and especially taijiquan， globally，”said Zhang Qiuping， secretary-general of IWUF.

Zhang added that the IWUF would further strengthen the popularization and promotion of taijiquan helping it to be truly integrated into peoples daily lives and become part of a healthy and positive lifestyle shared by people throughout the world.

Since 2014， the World Taijiquan Championships have been held every two years by the IWUF. It provides a platform for communication and learning between the taijiquan experts and lovers around the globe.

In January 2020， taijiquan became an official event in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

China， Japan， ROK Unveil Culture Cities of East Asia 2021

Shaoxing and Dunhuang in China， Kitakyushu in Japan， and Sunchon in the Republic of Korea （ROK） have been designated by the three countries as the Culture Cities of East Asia 2021.

Chinas Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement on December 21， 2020 that the three countries have agreed the four cities need to cooperate closely to promote the development and prosperity of East-Asian culture.

Since 2013， the three nations have carried out an annual selection， naming one or two cities in each country as the Culture Cities of East Asia to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation， the protection of intangible cultural heritage， the construction of a public cultural service system， and city planning.

Selected cities are generally unveiled at the China-Japan-ROK Cultural Ministers Meeting. However， the meeting in 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic， and the three countries announced their decision in the form of a media release.

Shaolin Temple Joins Hands with University to Start Kung Fu Courses for International Students

The kung fu shrine Shaolin Temple in central Chinas Henan Province has signed an agreement with a local university to jointly train international students for bachelors， masters， and doctorate courses in the martial art.

According to the agreement between Shaolin Temple and Henan University， they will enroll students from around the world to major in kung fu. The cooperation will allow kung fu lovers from more countries to learn and help promote traditional Chinese culture， said Shi Yongxin， abbot of the temple.

In 2020， the university based in the provincial capital Zhengzhou founded the Wushu College， the only college of wushu or kung fu established by a comprehensive university in China so far.

An agreement was signed the same year between the temple and the university to jointly train kung fu coaches teaching overseas.

China Cultural Center in Fiji Celebrates Fifth Birthday

A group of Fijian and Chinese guests gathered at the China Cultural Center in Fiji to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its establishment on January 7.

Rosy Akbar， Fijis Minister for Education， Heritage， and Arts， who also witnessed the official inauguration of the center in 2015， extended her congratulations to the center， saying that she was lucky to witness the birth and fast growth of the center over the past five years.

“China Cultural Center in Fiji is like a home of friendship. It has built a bridge of friendship and mutual understanding for Fijians and Chinese. It has carried out a lot of meaningful activities， and I hope it will continue to grow and continue to engage with our people in the years to come，” she said.

Bernadette Rounds Ganilau， secretary of the Fiji-China Friendship Association， said that over the past five years the center has been actively engaged in activities focused on cultural exchange.

According to Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo， China is willing to work hand in hand with Fiji to continue strengthening personnel and cultural exchanges between the two sides， enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples， and promote stability and long-term development of the China-Fiji comprehensive strategic partnership.

Sun Jie， director of the center， said that the center will be innovative in its work in accordance with the new normal of the epidemic， enhance cultural exchanges， and contribute to the friendship between China and Fiji.