CHINESE martial arts performers captivated students and guests at the Chinese Language and Cultural Week, where a wide variety of traditional Chinese artefacts signifying its rich culture were also on display.

A total of 18 wushu (martial arts) performers used various weapons for its crowd-pleasing stunts, including swords and nunchucks.

Li Hui, the trainer who hails from China's Hebei province, said that the local performers have been training for more than four months, going through a rigorous training of three hours every day from 5pm to 8pm.

"We hope that they will showcase their skills and gain valuable experience, as well as compete in regional and international competitions," Li said.

He said many Bruneians have shown an interest in wushu, which saw him teaching it in private and government schools across the country.

"Currently, I train more than 60 people," he said, adding that learning wushu improves one's flexibility, stamina and fitness levels, especially children. He further hoped that wushu would be promoted extensively in Brunei and receive support from the public.

One of the performers, 18-year-old Harris Adli Peranchis, said that he hopes that Brunei's wushu artists would be recognised as one of the best in the world.

"If I have the opportunity, I would participate in competitions," said Harris, who added that wushu is challenging, but fun. Harris, who has been learning wushu for two years, aims to conquer opponents from the region before taking on China in international competitions.

"I fell in love with martial arts after watching movies with Jackie Chan and Jet Li," said the Form Five student from Menglait Secondary School.

The youngest wushu performer at the four-day Chinese Language and Cultural Week was 7 years old.

Other items shown included life-like dough figures, a traditional Chinese handicraft with distinctive features made from edible flour. Embroidery, a folk art in China, and the Chinese costumes of cheongsam, zhongsan suit for men and traditional wedding dresses could also be found at the exhibition.

Visitors can also find out more information about the tea varieties produced from different Chinese provinces, as well as Chinese food, ranging from Sichuan, Anhui, Hunan, to Guangdong cuisines.

Saidai Hj Hitam, director of Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Language Centre, said that the Chinese cultural week was held in the spirit of promoting the exchange of cultural knowledge and information between Brunei and China.

The Chinese Language and Cultural Week is jointly organised by the Chinese Embassy in Brunei and Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

The Brunei Times