A punch of kung fu culture

Global success

Replacing lengthy dialogues with choreography, emotional expressions and face-to-face performances, the drama overcame language barriers and fostered deep spiritual resonance among people of different cultures when it went global last year.

Tour manager Wang Ali, who was directly involved in every step of Wing Chun's tour, says the international feedback has easily exceeded expectations. She recalls that when the performers arrived in London in August, only 60 to 70 percent of the seats sold. But, following a successful first performance, the box office steadily improved.

Wing Chun was performed 12 times over nine days at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, a renowned performance venue for dance, and completed four shows in three days at Palais des Congres in Paris — an icon of French culture and art — drawing an audience of over 100,000.

According to Wang, the overseas performances not only attracted ethnic Chinese, but also garnered immense affection and recognition from foreign audiences who showed great enthusiasm for the drama, with some having watched it multiple times and were moved to tears.

The tour's success has fueled the team's determination. The drama was performed in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, from April 25 to May 1, marking the beginning of this year's world tour, and it received a warm reception from the Russian audience. Wang says leading theaters in various countries, including Canada and the United States, have approached them to perform there, adding she believes that deeper emotional links could be forged with local audiences.