Kung fu show celebrates 10 years with new technology

If Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan introduced Chinese kung fu to the world, then Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu further explains the ancient philosophy behind the strength and muscle-defying feats of the martial art.

The performance spectacular is claimed to be the longest running show in China. It has just celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Beijing.

Opening in Beijing on July 15, 2004, Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu, has been staged more than 7,000 times worldwide.

Produced by Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company, the show revolves around a touching story of a young boy, named Chun Yi, who becomes the apprentice of a Buddhist monk, also a kung fu master, and starts his epic journey to enlightenment.

Combining kung fu artistry with dance and acrobatics, the show features nearly 60 highly skilled actors, including five boys under the age of 14.

"Besides gaining inner strength and physical strength, kung fu also teaches you to create peace and harmony in the world around you," says Cao Xiaoning, the general manager of China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company.

"This is a global message of peace and harmony for the world." Cao says.

He adds that during the past 10 years, the company has revised the show more than 30 times and has produced versions in English, Japanese and Spanish to cater to people from different cultures.

Before creating the show, director and playwright Su Shijin and the production team spent four months at Shaolin Temple in Henan province to seek inspiration. In 2006, Broadway director Ray Roderick joined the artistic team to make the show understandable for Western audiences.

Besides being staged every day at the Beijing Red Theater, located at the east gate of the Temple of Heaven, the dazzling performance also toured North America, Russia and Japan and was a featured presentation of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. In the summer of 2009, it made its UK debut at London's Coliseum.

In early 2010, China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company even purchased a theater, the White House Theater in Branson, a popular destination for holiday revelers in the US. From 2010 to 2012, the show was staged nearly 800 times at the theater.

New technology has been employed to add lighting, sound and special effects to the show's new version to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.

"The show marks the first time a Chinese company has successfully developed its market abroad," says Cao.

"It opens a window to the famous Chinese kung fu."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn