Colorful and wonderful! Children from ethnic minorities win wows in Shanghai
Nine-year-old Ye Na is one of the 40-plus ethnic children invited to Shanghai for a 10-day summer camp tour to boost cultural exchange and cultural confidence.
"I had never been to Shanghai and the city is very beautiful," said Ye of the Dai ethnic group.
The children, from five ethnic minorities of China, gave a wonderful performance when they wowed an audience of more than 800 people with dances and a fashion show featuring the costumes of Dai, Wa, Tibetan, Naxi, and Yao ethnic minority groups in Jing'an District on Sunday.
Children showcase costumes and customs of their ethnic groups.
"I have been practising dancing for only one year but I like dancing," Ye said. "I made many friends here and it's hard to say goodbye to Shanghai."
Before that, they visited Shanghai Disney Resort, the Shanghai Film Museum, and enjoyed a cruise tour on Huangpu River.
It is part of a cultural exchange program named "Pride from the Mountain," which offers a platform for children of ethnic minorities to learn the cultural value of their groups and pass them from generation to generation.
A chorus sings during the performance.
The program, hosted by social organization E-Youth under the guidance of the Jing'an branch of the Shanghai Youth League, creates an opportunity for children to learn singing, dancing, musical instruments, and handicrafts of their ethnic minorities.
It also provides a platform to showcase their accomplishments with cultural exchange activities in metropolises by sponsoring cultural education classes at primary and middle schools.
It has paired with 46 primary and middle schools with students from 19 ethnic minorities in nine provinces. The study covers 18 national intangible cultural heritages.
A girl plays a musical instrument.
"We prepared two dances for the performance," said Sada Duji, a teacher from southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. "The dances are performed during joyful occasions such as family reunions, festivals and weddings. The rehearsal took half a month."
He led six children aged 11 on average to Shanghai for the summer camp.
"It's a really memorable and pleasant experience," he added.
Children sing during the performance.
