On July 13, the launch ceremony of the 8th Guangzhou Youth Lion Dance Performance Competition and the High Pole Lion Dance Competition to welcome China's 15th National Games, kicked off at the square of the Guangzhou Cultural Center.

The launch ceremony of the 8th Guangzhou Youth Lion Dance Performance Competition was held on July 13. (Photo provided to GD Today)

During the launch ceremony, youth lion dance teams from various cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including Guangzhou, Foshan, Hong Kong, and Macao, made their appearances. Additionally, elite teams from Malaysia were invited to join the event by the Guangzhou Dragon and Lion Dance Association. They displayed extraordinary skills, leaping and spinning mid-air on the high poles, symbolizing steep cliffs. At times, they crouched low to explore, and sometimes they roared towards the sky, thrilling the audience.

The event celebrated the vibrant cultural exchange and collaboration between Chinese and Malaysian youth, highlighting the shared heritage and mutual appreciation for the art of lion dancing. Teenagers from both nations participated enthusiastically, showcasing their talents and learning from each other's unique styles and techniques.

Zhao Weibin, a representative inheritor of Guangdong Lion Dance, introduced that Guangdong Lion Dance is one of China's first national-level intangible cultural heritage representative projects. As a national intangible cultural heritage representative project of Malaysia, the "high pole lion dance" also originates from the Guangdong Lion Dance in China, with a deep historical connection between the two.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations. On June 20, China and Malaysia signed the agreement on Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and Malaysia on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future. As the statement mentioned, two countries will jointly nominate the lion dance for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Following the launch ceremony, the 8th Guangzhou Youth Lion Dance Performance Competition will take place in the second half of this year. The competition will be divided into two sections, the "lion dance youth" individual talent contest and the youth lion dance performance competition. While the former includes online video submissions and offline live competitions, the latter splits into solo and group performances, with the best teams from district preliminaries advancing to the final.