Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association Performances

Lion Dance Performance

Many people look at martial arts and see the students learning kicking, punching, and fighting applications and they think that is all there is. Many students of the traditional Chinese martial arts styles are often drawn to the arts because of the beauty, grace, and power of the weapons and empty hand forms. Students of traditional Chinese martial arts styles not only learn the martial part of their art (Wu - 武), but also the civil part with many traditions and customs (Wen - 文). Often this takes the form of the student seeking the knowledge of the culture that inspired the art that they now study. Another way that Kung Fu students are able to learn the civil aspect of their art is through Lion Dancing, which should not be confused with Dragon Dancing (舞龍).

Traditionally, during the Chinese New Year, our Lion Dance Troupe will visit restaurants, households and shops throughout the community to perform the traditional custom of "Cai Qing" (採青), literally means "Plucking the Greens", a quest by the lion to pluck the auspicious green, normally lettuce, which in Chinese is called “Cái” (菜), which sounds like “Cái” (财) or “Fortune”, and auspicious fruits like oranges (sounds like "happiness", "blessings" or "good luck") and/or tangerines (sounds like "money") tied to a “Hóngbāo” (紅包- "Red Envelope") containing donation money; either hung high up or just put on a table in front or inside of the premises. The "lion" will dance and approach the "green" and "red envelope" like a curious cat, to "eat the green" (consuming what is simply “lettuce”) and "spit" it out (once it’s transformed into "fortune"). but keep the "red envelope". The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the businesses and  households, sometimes our troupe is also rewarded with a lunch or dinner.

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