On July 6th, the opening ceremony of the "Showcasing Chinese Martial Arts in Jiangmen" Martial Arts Festival and the exhibition of achievements of Chinese martial arts in schools were held in Jiangmen, known as the hometown of overseas Chinese. The festival featured a captivating display of Chinese martial arts by teams from 12 schools in Xinhui District and the Xinhui Teachers' Martial Arts Team, providing the audience with a unique visual feast.

The martial arts festival will run from July to September, promising a spectacular lineup of events. Based on cultural and tourism hotspots, Jianghai District will organize trendy martial arts activities, including the "Chao Wu (trendy martial arts)" fashion show and the Overseas Chinese Martial Arts Invitational Tournament. Xinhui District will further promote the cultural brand of Choy Lay Fut (also called Choy Li Fut or Cai Li Fo), hosting internationally influential festive projects. Heshan City will promote the Liangzhan cultural brand, organizing the 4th Liangzhan Wing Chun Carnival and Cultural Arts Season. Meanwhile, Pengjiang, Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, and other areas will collaborate to attract more young people to engage with and appreciate martial arts through various means, fostering a culturally resonant atmosphere both locally and internationally.

According to incomplete statistics, the people of Jiangmen possess a wealth of expertise in martial arts, with nearly 10 innovative styles of martial arts originating from the region. Martial arts schools like Choy Lay Fut and Pian Shen Wing Chun have their roots in Jiangmen. Local historical records from the Wuyi region indicate that during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, hundreds of martial arts practitioners from Jiangmen passed the national military examination. In recent years, the city's schools have focused on inheriting and promoting martial arts culture, continuously organizing Chinese martial arts activities in schools. These efforts have yielded remarkable results, with a martial arts popularization rate of 84.5% in schools and over 560,000 students participating.

Officials from Jiangmen City expressed their commitment to passing on and promoting the spirit of Chinese martial arts through the organization of the Hometown of Overseas Chinese Martial Arts Festival. They aim to connect martial arts enthusiasts from home and abroad, leveraging the popularity of martial arts IP and digital experiences to narrate the inspiring stories of overseas Chinese martial arts in innovative and trendy ways.

侨都江门举办武术节

7月6日，“为中华武术炫彩”侨都江门武术节启动仪式暨中华武术进校园成果展示活动举办。活动现场进行了新会区中华武术进校园成果展示。来自新会12所学校的队伍和新会教工武术队轮番上阵，给现场观众送上一场别开生面的视觉盛宴。

据了解，本次武术节将从7月持续至9月，活动精彩纷呈。江海区将结合文旅消费热点，打造“潮武”风采秀、华侨华人武术邀请赛等时尚化的武术活动；新会区将进一步擦亮蔡李佛文化品牌，举办具有国际影响力的节庆项目；鹤山市将擦亮梁赞文化品牌，举办第四届梁赞咏春嘉年华暨文化艺术季；蓬江、台山、开平、恩平等地将共同联动，通过不同方式吸引更多年轻人关注武术、喜爱武术，形成海内外相呼应的文化氛围。

据不完全统计，江门人集武术大家所长，创新拳种有近10种，蔡李佛拳、偏身咏春拳等武术流派发源于此。据五邑地方县志记载，元、明、清时期，江门产生的武举人多达数百人。近年来，全市学校立足武术文化传承，持续开展中华武术进校园活动，取得了明显成效，校园普及率达到84.5%，参与学生超过56万人。

江门市官员表示，江门要以举办侨都江门武术节来传承弘扬中华武术精神，连接海内外武术爱好者资源，用好武术“潮玩IP”、功夫“数字体验”功能，以创新潮流方式讲好全球华侨华人同根同脉的侨都武术故事。

文、图｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 陈卓栋 通讯员 江轩 谭耀广
翻译｜刘佳慧
责编｜王瑜瑛