 |
| The outdoor stage area |
This post shows some of the outdoor activities for the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Quzhou Technical College. As this was also a type of open day, there were also where were a number of outdoor activities in addition to the official ceremony and performances in the sports stadium. Fortunately it was a perfect autumn day, sunny but cool.
 |
| Remote-controlled, solar- powered model vehicle |
There were demonstrations by students of vocational skills such as nursing and graphic design. I was impressed by a group of information technology students building and running solar powered model cars.
 |
| Fashion parade with recycled materials |
The Chinese are very aware for the need to develop alternative energy technologies. I believe that they are the biggest suppliers of solar panels to Australia.
Almost all apartment buildings and houses have solar powered water heating panels on their roofs, although probably less common though in the cooler north of the country. Also on an environmental theme, there was a fashion parade of clothing made by students from recycled and packaging materials.
More interesting for me were performances by students at a temporary stage in the college amphitheater. Again there was a huge range of performances; from (to me) the fairly banal solo singers and sketch comedy; to ‘international’ performances such as a cheerleader type show; and (to me) the more interesting traditional Chinese culture such as wushu and dancing.
 |
| Part of the wushu demonstration |
The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. The wushu troupe started with traditional tai chi which then morphed into a gymnastic and martial arts display. Especially impressive was a group of very young children who gave a fantastic performance.
 |
| Traditional Xin Jian dancing |
The performances that I really enjoyed were traditional dancing from Xin Jiang, a far western province that has elements of both far-east and middle-east cultures. Xin Jiang food is already one of our favourites, and my favourite local restaurant here is run by people from Gan Su, a province just this side of Xin Jiang.
 |
| Modern Xin Jian dancing - check the footwear |
The first dance was quite traditional with elaborate traditional costumes and music – quite elegant and subtle. The second was completely different – similar to belly dancing with an almost Bollywood soundtrack.
I was watching the lead dancer whose movements were extremely fluid and graceful, especially impressive after I noticed that she was wearing heavy work boots. Don’t know what that was about – a political statement, a way of slowing her down, or just a joke!
All-in-all an enjoyable day, and another reason why I decided to live and work overseas rather than just have a holiday.
Included below is a short video of a small selection of the outdoor performances.
