ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
Historic wins mark a milestone for Chinese sports
Cultural heritage shines in Paris
Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team danced their way to a historic victory, claiming their first Olympic gold medal in the group all-around final with a total score of 69.800 on Saturday at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This momentous win was not only a milestone for China, but also made history as the first non-European team since the Atlanta 1996 Olympics to secure gold in this category.
Zhang Mengmeng, a former Chinese synchronized swimmer and the commentator of the match, was deeply moved by the team's victory.
"This year marks the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese artistic swimming team. The first generation, who started their journey at the outdoor pool in Beijing's Taoranting Park in 1983, could never have imagined that after 15,000 days and nights, their dreams would finally come true, and we would become Olympic champions," Zhang Mengmeng said.
Zhang Xiaohuan, head coach of the Chinese artistic swimming team, also noted that the success of Chinese artistic swimming firmly stood on the shoulders of previous generations. "We are standing on the starting point of two silver medals from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that led to today's achievements," Zhang Xiaohuan said.
In addition to the new heights reached by the Chinese artistic swimming and rhythmic gymnastics teams after years of hard work, the profundity of Chinese culture has provided the best support for the artistic expression of Chinese athletes, which was fully utilized in their routines.
In the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final, the Chinese team performed a routine titled "Phoenix soaring to the sky," drawing heavily on elements from the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) and Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The intricate use of ribbons to simulate the shapes of traditional Chinese musical instruments like guzheng (Chinese plucked zither), and pipa, a traditional Chinese string instrument, captivated the audience, who responded with continuous applause.
Sun Dan, coach of the Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team, explained their intention: "We want to showcase Chinese artistic style through our routines and help more people understand Chinese culture," Sun said, as reported by China Youth Daily.
After China won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships, Sun and her coaching team meticulously refined each movement, continuing to integrate Chinese elements into the routines.
On Saturday evening, Chinese team's Wang Qianyi and Wang Liuyi brought the theme of "leopard" and "lotus" to life in their duet free routine in the artistic swimming competition, seamlessly blending elements of Chinese folk dance into their performance.
Just days earlier, during the team technical routine on August 5, the Chinese artistic swimming team had made a striking entrance with a phoenix-shaped formation, followed by movements inspired by Wing Chun, a form of southern Chinese kung fu and a national intangible cultural heritage of China. Their swimsuits, adorned with a phoenix design, were set to the music theme of speed and passion, embodying a fiery and intense spirit.
In the team free routine on August 6, the Chinese team's costumes featured traditional Chinese cultural heritage window patterns, creating a unique and eye-catching visual. The following day, the team performed an acrobatic routine titled "Light of life," incorporating Chinese elements such as martial arts and tai chi, with one combination move forming the Chinese oracle bone script "Shan," which means "mountain."
Zhang Xiaohuan also emphasized how they desire to see judges from different cultural backgrounds accept Chinese music and choreography, and respect their work. She noted that there are cultural differences between the East and the West, and the goal of the Chinese artistic swimming team is not just to reach the highest podium but to "dazzle the audience and make every second spectacular," holding the judges and audience in a state of awe and admiration throughout, as reported by thepaper.cn.
"As a non-English speaking country, it is very difficult for China to make breakthroughs in artistic competitions which have been monopolized by Western countries for many years, as it is difficult to gain global recognition in the arts. In the future, we will continue to follow this path and showcase more works with Chinese [cultural] heritage and embody Chinese cultural confidence," Zhang Xiaohuan said, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.
Team China performs with hoops in the group all-around rhythmic gymnastics final at La Chapelle Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, on August 10, 2024. Chinese rhythmic gymnasts made history to win the country's first Olympic group all-around gold medal on Saturday. Photo: VCG
Shortly afterward, the Chinese team continued their golden streak, triumphing in the artistic swimming duet competition, earning China its first Olympic gold medal in this event. The Chinese artistic swimming team had already achieved a historic breakthrough, winning their first gold medal at the competition for the artistic swimming team acrobatic routine on Wednesday.Zhang Mengmeng, a former Chinese synchronized swimmer and the commentator of the match, was deeply moved by the team's victory.
"This year marks the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese artistic swimming team. The first generation, who started their journey at the outdoor pool in Beijing's Taoranting Park in 1983, could never have imagined that after 15,000 days and nights, their dreams would finally come true, and we would become Olympic champions," Zhang Mengmeng said.
Zhang Xiaohuan, head coach of the Chinese artistic swimming team, also noted that the success of Chinese artistic swimming firmly stood on the shoulders of previous generations. "We are standing on the starting point of two silver medals from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that led to today's achievements," Zhang Xiaohuan said.
In addition to the new heights reached by the Chinese artistic swimming and rhythmic gymnastics teams after years of hard work, the profundity of Chinese culture has provided the best support for the artistic expression of Chinese athletes, which was fully utilized in their routines.
In the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final, the Chinese team performed a routine titled "Phoenix soaring to the sky," drawing heavily on elements from the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) and Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The intricate use of ribbons to simulate the shapes of traditional Chinese musical instruments like guzheng (Chinese plucked zither), and pipa, a traditional Chinese string instrument, captivated the audience, who responded with continuous applause.
Sun Dan, coach of the Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team, explained their intention: "We want to showcase Chinese artistic style through our routines and help more people understand Chinese culture," Sun said, as reported by China Youth Daily.
After China won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships, Sun and her coaching team meticulously refined each movement, continuing to integrate Chinese elements into the routines.
On Saturday evening, Chinese team's Wang Qianyi and Wang Liuyi brought the theme of "leopard" and "lotus" to life in their duet free routine in the artistic swimming competition, seamlessly blending elements of Chinese folk dance into their performance.
Just days earlier, during the team technical routine on August 5, the Chinese artistic swimming team had made a striking entrance with a phoenix-shaped formation, followed by movements inspired by Wing Chun, a form of southern Chinese kung fu and a national intangible cultural heritage of China. Their swimsuits, adorned with a phoenix design, were set to the music theme of speed and passion, embodying a fiery and intense spirit.
In the team free routine on August 6, the Chinese team's costumes featured traditional Chinese cultural heritage window patterns, creating a unique and eye-catching visual. The following day, the team performed an acrobatic routine titled "Light of life," incorporating Chinese elements such as martial arts and tai chi, with one combination move forming the Chinese oracle bone script "Shan," which means "mountain."
Zhang Xiaohuan also emphasized how they desire to see judges from different cultural backgrounds accept Chinese music and choreography, and respect their work. She noted that there are cultural differences between the East and the West, and the goal of the Chinese artistic swimming team is not just to reach the highest podium but to "dazzle the audience and make every second spectacular," holding the judges and audience in a state of awe and admiration throughout, as reported by thepaper.cn.
"As a non-English speaking country, it is very difficult for China to make breakthroughs in artistic competitions which have been monopolized by Western countries for many years, as it is difficult to gain global recognition in the arts. In the future, we will continue to follow this path and showcase more works with Chinese [cultural] heritage and embody Chinese cultural confidence," Zhang Xiaohuan said, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.
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