From February 1-3, 2012, on the occasion of China’s Spring Festival, the 23 members of Xiamen University’s Cultural Performance Troupe, under the leadership of Xiamen University Vice-President Wu Daguang, and designated by Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters, came all the way to Liberia to hold three performances

The first performance was held at the University of Liberia’s assembly hall, which was attended by the president of the University of Liberia, five vice presidents, Counselor Li Zhigong of the Chinese Embassy in Liberia, over four hundred teachers and students of the University of Liberia and reporters of nearly ten media outlets. Dr. Dannis, President of the university, said in his address that he thanks the Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia for its contributions in teaching the Chinese language and spreading Chinese culture and building a platform for Sino-Liberian cultural exchanges, and that he hopes Xiamen University’s Cultural Performance Troupe would be able to further strengthen exchanges between university students of the two countries, enhance friendship between Chinese and Liberian youths, and write a new chapter in the cultural exchanges between the two countries. The entire performance lasted for nearly two hours, and the cultural performance troupe dedicated a program of the elements of traditional Chinese culture to the audience, consisting of both traditional folk music performances such as “Blooming Flowers and Full Moon” and “Jubilance”, as well as dances with a distinctive ethnic style such as “Jasmine Flower”, “Kangding Love Song”, and “National Unity”. There were both vocal music performances such as “Drinking Song”, “Nessun Dorma”, and “Beautiful Grassland, My Home”, as well as performances of traditional Chinese martial arts such as “The Charm of Tai Chi”. The performers’ wonderful show captivated the audience, and the performance garnered cheers and a thunderous applause as the curtain fell at the conclusion of the successful show, with many Liberian students enthusiastically coming onto the stage to take pictures with the performers. The performances allowed the Liberian students to further deepen their understanding of Chinese folk music and culture.

The second performance was held at the City Hall of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, on the afternoon of February 2. The performances were an unprecedentedly grand occasion, attracting a standing-room-only crowd of over five hundred people. Honored guests to the show included public figures of all sections of society such as Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Mr. Zhao Jianhua, Force Commander for United Nations Mission in Liberia Major General Muhammad Khalid, Liberian members of parliament, envoys to Liberia of various countries, officials of the United Nations peacekeeping force, and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions. The Xiamen University Cultural Performance Troupe’s show once again displayed the wonders of Chinese culture to all sections of society in the Liberian capital, with the audience responding to the performances with a warm round of applause. After the show, the Liberian president and vice president came onto the stage and met with the teachers and students of the Cultural Performance Troupe, thanking them for their spectacular performance and posing with them for a group photo. At the reception following the performances, Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Zhao Jianhua expressed that the performances were an enormous success, with the attendance of many important political figures and people from all sections of society, which fully embodies China’s profound influence in Liberia and the profound appeal of Chinese culture. He highly praised the Cultural Performance Troupe for further promoting cultural exchanges between the peoples of China and Liberia and for deepening Liberians’ understanding of Chinese culture.

On the evening of February 3, teachers and students of the Cultural Performance Troupe spared no effort and held a special performance at the Transport Unit of the Chinese Peacekeeping Force in Liberia, their third performance, where over two hundred peacekeeping officers and soldiers and peacekeeping police enjoyed the spectacular performance in high spirits. The peacekeeping officers and soldiers also meticulously arranged a program of their own and participated in the performances. The entire program was a lively spectacle, and the two hour performance stretched to nearly three hours due to the officers and soldiers’ enthusiastic applause and reluctance to see the show come to an end, with the peacekeepers one and another coming onto the stage to pose for group photos with the performers. Before the show, the performers specially came to the camp outpost to sing for the soldiers on duty, which deeply moved them.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia meticulously prepared for and organized the performances, with the Confucius Institute Choir specially rehearsing Chinese songs such as “Meeting at the Yuri”, “Going Home”, and “Red Azalea” and songs and dances rich in the local culture such as “The Children of Africa” to perform at the three separate shows. Their excellent Chinese and graceful dance form were met by repeated rounds of applause from the audience.

The Xiamen University Cultural Performance Troupe’s performances in Liberia served to effectively promote Sino-Liberian cultural exchange, broaden the influence of Confucius Institutes, and attract more locals to study the Chinese language and culture.