Having been fascinated with Chinese martial arts for a very long time, Yang has choreographed and directed dance productions that were inspired by Chinese history and traditional Chinese art, including The Legend of Mulan, Storm Clouds and Chinese Hero: A Lone Exile.
"From Bruce Lee's internationally famous kung fu films, to the widely-read martial arts novels by Louis Cha Leung-yung, Hong Kong plays quite a crucial role in promoting and popularizing Chinese martial arts," says Tsang Kee-kung, board chairman of Hong Kong Dance Company. Since its establishment in 1981, the company has been celebrating traditional Chinese culture, especially martial arts, he says.
The performance of Convergence in the capital was co-hosted by the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China in Beijing.
According to Amy Yuen, the office's deputy director, as well as the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Hong Kong's theater groups have also staged performances on the Chinese mainland this year. An exhibition about Hong Kong's pop culture, such as movies and music, was held in several Chinese cities, including Lanzhou, Harbin and Shenyang, to mark the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
