3月21日，新学期首场开放日！
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The entrance of our school was bustling with activity. Instead of tedious queues and lectures, the children were greeted by rows of colourful, exaggeratedly shaped giant sea turtles!
The Sha Chong Turtle Dance, a Guangdong provincial intangible cultural heritage with over six centuries of history, served as today's most distinctive welcoming ceremony.
They dance exuberantly at the school gates, swaying their heads and tails, greeting each returning pupil:
‘For the new term, may you come out on top and leap through the dragon gate!’
When the performers of the giant turtle dance deliberately moved among the younger children, the crowd erupted into excitement.
Accompanied by the resounding beats of gongs and drums, the performers waved the colourful giant turtle, vividly portraying the legendary tale: the colossal turtle parting the waves to rescue the scholar, adorning itself with flowers and red ribbons to express gratitude to its benefactor.
The ‘sea turtle’ darted through the water, then leapt high, weaving through the dancer portraying the top scholar. On this compact stage, they brought to life the six-century-old tale of divine aid and transcendence to immortality with consummate skill.
Come now, children, don't be afraid of the weight. Support it here with your hands, and keep your stance steady."
The Ao Yu inheritors demonstrated while carefully correcting the children's posture. Several older pupils, guided by their teachers, joined forces to lift the heavy dragon-head. At first, the dragon seemed awkward in their hands, but under Xianbo's commands—"Up! Down! Turn! "—the children gradually found their rhythm.
Under the meticulous guidance of the teachers, the once-awkward movements grew increasingly fluid. To the simulated beat of gongs and drums, the children made the sea turtle in their hands sway its head and tail, sometimes diving beneath the surface, sometimes leaping high.
On the theatre stage, ancient dance steps intertwined with youthful vigour, composing a new chapter in the legacy of tradition.
