Chuan You
According to the annual cooperation agreement between the Sichuan Provincial Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the ROK Yulgok Society, a 20-member Sichuan youth goodwill delegation mainly composed of students of the Deyang Dance School paid a visit to Gangneung City of the ROK from June 6 to 10 at the invitation of the ROK Organizing Committee of the Gangneung Danoje Festival and gave performances at the 2008 Gangneung Danoje Festival.
Deyang is one of the most seriously affected areas in the Sichuan earthquake. After the disaster, the people of Deyang rose up from the ruins of the earthquake and threw themselves into the relief work. Quite a few members of the delegation came from Mianzhu and Shifang that suffered devastating losses in the earthquake. Their homes were collapsed, but together with the teachers and students of the Dance School they braved the aftershocks and kept on rehearsing in the temporary tents, determined to bring dances with Chinese features to the people in ROK to express their sincere thanks to them who had given generous aid to the Sichuan disaster areas and show Sichuan peoples optimistic, indomitable and self-reliant spirit.
The annual Gangneung Danoje Festival attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from home and abroad. At the fully occupied Gangneung Theatre, the delegation performed dances Painting New Year Pictures, The Eternal Passion and Love of Kongding, and Graceful Peacocks Reflected upon the Lake. The dance Painting New Year Pictures with the theme of Mainzhu New Year pictures, Chinas intangible cultural heritage, depicted the Mianzhu peoples love and pursuit of happy life. The earthquake brought catastrophes to Mianzhu where the village with a time-honoured tradition of producing New Year pictures was reduced to ruins in an instance, but the performers with an expression of firmness on their faces and beautiful dance movements displayed the continuing vitality of Mianzhu New Year pictures and the growing Mianzhu spirit of unity. Their dances won warm applause from the audience. The delegation sang the song Arirang to express their thanks to the ROK people for their aid to the Sichuan disaster areas, pushing the festival gala party to a climax.
Choi Myeong-Hee, mayor of Gangneung who met with the delegation, spoke highly of their performances and expressed his sincere solicitude for the performers from Mianzhu and Shifang. When learning that the delegation came from Sichuan earthquake-stricken areas, Kim Jin-sun, governor of Gangwon Province, specially sent people to drive more than 200 kilometers to Gangneung to donate via the delegation 3 million won to the people in the disaster areas and give gifts to every young performer. The ROK rescue team that had just returned from their relief work in Sichuan specially came to Gangneung to see the delegation. Team Leader Kim Yong Suk said he was greatly encouraged by the Sichuan peoples courage to fight the earthquake.
M. K. Cheong, president of the Educational Institute of ROK Yulgok Society, was the liaison at the ROK side for the delegations performance. He showed great concerns for the effects of the disaster in Sichuan. He not only donated 3,000 US dollars to the disaster areas, but also took meticulous care of the delegation from the disaster areas. Though he was advanced in age, he greeted the delegation in the hotel at 2:00 A.M. Knowing that the performers were young and felt tired after the performance, every day he would bring them fruits and cake. He asked the delegation to pass on his donation of 25 sets of stationery to children in the disaster areas, and said he would continue to give donations and lead the Gangneung Farmers Musical Group to give performance in Sichuan disaster areas in September. The members of the delegation were greatly moved by his kindness and experienced the ROK peoples profound sentiments of friendship towards the Chinese people, which enhanced their confidence in rebuilding their beautiful homeland.