STORY: When ballet dancer meets Tai Chi culture
DATELINE: June 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:29
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Tai Chi exercise
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
3. various of cityscape in Hong Kong and photos of Tai Chi teaching
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
5. various of Tai Chi exercise
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
8. various of Tai Chi perform
9. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
10. shot of Tai Chi exercise

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
"(Ballet) is a form of stage art that tells stories through beauty, music, and movement. Ballet dancers stretch their arms and legs to the limits. They point their toes and avoid bending them, defying physical limits to create beauty. Tai Chi, on the other hand, draws energy from balance and tranquility, which makes every of its movements very powerful."

At the age of 12, Fung began her ballet training. She had always strived for excellence and kept dancing despite the aches and pains. Her efforts paid off and was twice funded to further her studies overseas.

Although Fung was raised in a traditional Chinese family, she had been intrigued by Western art and lifestyle since childhood.

Later, she married a New Zealander in Hong Kong, and she basically led a Western lifestyle.

It was by sheer chance that Fung came across Tai Chi, as she was planning her son's education, and met Xing Qilin, who came to Hong Kong to promote Tai Chi culture.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
"I felt that my child must learn the Chinese language and learn it in a Chinese traditional cultural environment."

Xing is the fourth-generation inheritor of the renowned Lee-style Tai Chi.

Fung's son then started to practice Tai Chi and learn about traditional Chinese culture at Xing's school. To Fung's surprise, he enjoyed them very much. Fung also learned along with her son and gradually gained knowledge of Tai Chi.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
"I used to think that Tai Chi is a genre of boxing. I'm a ballet dancer, so I thought Tai Chi movements were a kind of exercise. I didn't see anything special about them. To me, it's just Chinese Kung Fu. I didn't understand how practicing Tai Chi could enhance one's morality and affect one's emotions."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
"I learned later that the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are related to our emotions of joy, anger, worry, thoughts, and sorrow. If you are unhappy or lose your temper, it actually affects your internal organs. As you learn the principles and methods of Tai Chi slowly, and practice them gradually, you will feel that it's very helpful for your personality and your actions."

In retrospect, Fung says she spent half of her life exploring outward and it's time to return to her true self and learn more about traditional Chinese culture.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): LINDA FUNG, Vice chairperson of the Hong Kong Ballet Company
"The essence of Tai Chi is harmony. This diagram is a circle divided not by a straight line but an inverted curved line that forms two interlocking and complementary spirals. I feel that my life has been a journey along a circle, drawn to the Western culture for the first half of my life and then learning the traditional Chinese culture later. I am amazed by the Chinese culture. It is so profound and full of wisdom."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)