Latest news with #GuanGong
Online Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- Online Citizen
Singapore lion dance troupe Yi Wei defends Genting World title with two top spots
A lion dance troupe from Singapore's Yi Wei Athletic Association has successfully defended its title at the 15th Genting World Lion Dance Championship on 27 July 2025. Yi Wei had broken Malaysia's 13-year winning streak when it won the championship in 2023. The prestigious competition, held biennially, draws the best lion dance troupes from around the region. This year, Yi Wei sent two teams of eight performers each to compete. Both teams secured the top spots once again in the battle of Chinese mythical creatures. Team B emerged as the grand champion with an impressive score of 9.78. Team A claimed the first runner-up position with a score of 9.66. Organised by Resorts World Genting in Malaysia, the three-day tournament attracted 40 teams from places including China, Hong Kong and Australia. Yi Wei's Team A themed its performance on Guan Gong, a legendary military general revered as the Chinese god of war. Team B chose Nezha, a popular deity depicted as a youthful warrior. The teams prepared for months at a rented facility on Defu Lane in Singapore. This year, Resorts World Genting increased the prize pool to mark its 60th anniversary celebrations. Malaysia's Transport Minister Antony Loke presented the trophies to the winning teams. Yi Wei's Team B took home US$18,000 (S$23,000) while Team A won US$10,000 for its runner-up finish. In comparison, the 2023 champion received US$15,000 and the runners-up earned US$8,000 and US$5,000 respectively. Yi Wei's celebrations will be held at a later date. According to Lee from Yi Wei, the troupe is now focused on upcoming competitions, starting with the 29th Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championships from 8 to 13 September.
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Penang celebrates Guan Gong's birthday with prayers and offerings for his role as protector and god of wealth
GEORGE TOWN, July 18 — The celebration marking Guan Gong's 1,865th birthday, which falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, began earlier this week at various temples and clan associations. Over at the 215-year-old Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple in King Street, special offerings and prayers will be held to honour the God of War today which is the 24th day of the sixth lunar month. The worship of Guan Gong is common among the ethnic Chinese community of both Taoism and Buddhism faiths because of what he represented – unwavering loyalty, righteousness, and moral integrity. Once a real-life general during China's Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's transformation into a deity reflects a cultural reverence that has endured for nearly two millennia. During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's pact with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei as sworn brothers to revive the Han Dynasty symbolised his loyalty in looking out for his friends in times of hardship. As a general, he was known for his bravery, moral integrity, and righteousness. After his death, he was officially bestowed titles of Guan Laoye (Grandpa Guan), Guan Gong (Duke Guan) and Guan Di (Emperor Guan). Guan Yu was deified in the official Taoist canon by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty (960-1279) and it was during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that he was given the title of 'heavenly emperor'. Though he was deified in Taoism, he is highly revered by those practicing Chinese folk religion, Confucianism and Buddhism. To the Buddhists, he is the Sangharama Bodhisattva. It was his sense of righteousness and loyalty that led to Chinese migrants on foreign lands installing him as a kind of patron saint or protector god. This is evident when one walks into any of the clan associations, provincial guilds, workers' associations or many Chinese businesses in Penang, where the imposing red-faced statue of Guan Gong holding his sword stands at the main altar of worship. Guan Gong at the Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple in King Street. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Interestingly, he was also widely worshipped by Chinese triads as he represented brotherhood and loyalty. In some places, there are statues of Guan Gong sitting and holding a book or a scroll to reflect his intelligence. Therefore, he was also worshipped as a god of literature, and since he was also worshipped by merchants, he become one of the gods of wealth. Over at the Sun Wui Wui Koon in Penang, the statue of Guan Gong, without his signature red face, is one of him sitting down holding a book and flanked by his son, Guan Ping, and his personal aide, Zhou Chang. Meanwhile, the Guan Gong statue at Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple is of him in his signature red face with his sword. Regardless of the pose of his statue, devotees often pray to Guan Gong to seek blessings for their health, safety and success in career and academic achievements. As devotees pay homage to Guan Gong today, the deity remains a timeless symbol of loyalty, righteousness and protection that will continue to guide the generations to come.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
How a Chinese Copper Art Workshop from Jiande Win Hearts, Applause in Florence
FLORENCE, ITALY - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 June 2025 - From April 25 to May 1, the 89th Florence International Handicraft Fair in Italy was held. Tongshifu, a company from east China's Jiande City, stood out among more than 530 exhibitors worldwide with its exquisite copper artworks and received extensive attention. At the dazzling booth of Tongshifu, every piece, from delicate and compact copper gourds to magnificent statues of Guan Gong, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, demonstrates a high level of artistry by taking the traditional lost-wax copper casting technique as the core and integrating modern aesthetics and cultural elements. The sculpture of Bumblebee from 'Transformers,' in particular, is an eye-catching Tongshifu collaboration with an internationally renowned IP. Using the high-temperature coloring technology for copper materials, it restores the mechanical texture and heroic fighting posture of the movie character, winning thumbs-up from numerous audiences. These exquisitely crafted, vivid, and well-balanced artworks not only carry forward the time-honored inheritance of Chinese copper art but also convey the vitality of modern innovation. Behind the stunning debut of Tongshifu at the fair lies the unremitting efforts of Jiande, where its headquarters is located, in painstakingly forging and cultivating cultural enterprises over the years, which have breathed new life into local traditional culture. Founded in 2014, Tongshifu faced many problems, such as a shortage of funds, in the initial stage of its business. Keenly aware of the start-up's problem and potential, the local government of Jiande took the initiative to assist the enterprise in applying for specific supportive funds totaling over 4 million yuan, a timely boost to the development of the start-up. Meanwhile, Jiande has attached great importance to highlighting cultural inheritance, which is the soul of Tongshifu's success. In 2020, Jiande conducted in-depth visits to Tongshifu to explore the value of the traditional techniques behind it, and helped the lost-wax copper casting technique of Tongshifu to be recognized as a local intangible cultural heritage. In 2024, the lost-wax copper casting intangible cultural heritage workshop was selected as the second batch of provincial-level projects in Zhejiang. This has not only continuously enhanced the brand cultural connotation of the enterprise but also attracted broader attention to this ancient technique. The ability of Tongshifu to reach the global stage of the Florence International Handicraft Fair benefits from the charm of the intangible cultural heritage behind it, as well as the accumulation and breakthrough of its design aesthetics, technological innovation, and cultural integration capabilities. As early as 2021, Jiande held a cultural and creative design competition, encouraging enterprises to showcase the development of the times with traditional techniques. Jiande is known for hosting the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station, China's first large-scale hydropower station. The local government collaborated with Tongshifu to develop a copper relief painting of the hydropower station, setting a successful example of modern expressions of traditional culture. Today, thanks to continuous launches of new artworks with both artistic and collection value, Tongshifu has become a well-known brand with annual sales of hundreds of millions of yuan and 5 million fans. The lost-wax copper casting technique has a complex process and high costs, with each artwork requiring an independent wax mold, and the production process taking 30 to 45 days. In fact, for an enterprise like Tongshifu to shine on the world stage, it relies not only on the inheritance of culture, technological breakthroughs, and expressions of the times but also on the patient, meticulous, and dedicated cultivation and support of the local government.
Associated Press
11-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
How a Chinese Copper Art Workshop from Jiande Win Hearts, Applause in Florence
FLORENCE, ITALY - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 June 2025 - From April 25 to May 1, the 89th Florence International Handicraft Fair in Italy was held. Tongshifu, a company from east China's Jiande City, stood out among more than 530 exhibitors worldwide with its exquisite copper artworks and received extensive attention. [VIDEO] At the dazzling booth of Tongshifu, every piece, from delicate and compact copper gourds to magnificent statues of Guan Gong, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, demonstrates a high level of artistry by taking the traditional lost-wax copper casting technique as the core and integrating modern aesthetics and cultural elements. The sculpture of Bumblebee from 'Transformers,' in particular, is an eye-catching Tongshifu collaboration with an internationally renowned IP. Using the high-temperature coloring technology for copper materials, it restores the mechanical texture and heroic fighting posture of the movie character, winning thumbs-up from numerous audiences. These exquisitely crafted, vivid, and well-balanced artworks not only carry forward the time-honored inheritance of Chinese copper art but also convey the vitality of modern innovation. Behind the stunning debut of Tongshifu at the fair lies the unremitting efforts of Jiande, where its headquarters is located, in painstakingly forging and cultivating cultural enterprises over the years, which have breathed new life into local traditional culture. Founded in 2014, Tongshifu faced many problems, such as a shortage of funds, in the initial stage of its business. Keenly aware of the start-up's problem and potential, the local government of Jiande took the initiative to assist the enterprise in applying for specific supportive funds totaling over 4 million yuan, a timely boost to the development of the start-up. Meanwhile, Jiande has attached great importance to highlighting cultural inheritance, which is the soul of Tongshifu's success. In 2020, Jiande conducted in-depth visits to Tongshifu to explore the value of the traditional techniques behind it, and helped the lost-wax copper casting technique of Tongshifu to be recognized as a local intangible cultural heritage. In 2024, the lost-wax copper casting intangible cultural heritage workshop was selected as the second batch of provincial-level projects in Zhejiang. This has not only continuously enhanced the brand cultural connotation of the enterprise but also attracted broader attention to this ancient technique. The ability of Tongshifu to reach the global stage of the Florence International Handicraft Fair benefits from the charm of the intangible cultural heritage behind it, as well as the accumulation and breakthrough of its design aesthetics, technological innovation, and cultural integration capabilities. As early as 2021, Jiande held a cultural and creative design competition, encouraging enterprises to showcase the development of the times with traditional techniques. Jiande is known for hosting the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station, China's first large-scale hydropower station. The local government collaborated with Tongshifu to develop a copper relief painting of the hydropower station, setting a successful example of modern expressions of traditional culture. Today, thanks to continuous launches of new artworks with both artistic and collection value, Tongshifu has become a well-known brand with annual sales of hundreds of millions of yuan and 5 million fans. The lost-wax copper casting technique has a complex process and high costs, with each artwork requiring an independent wax mold, and the production process taking 30 to 45 days. In fact, for an enterprise like Tongshifu to shine on the world stage, it relies not only on the inheritance of culture, technological breakthroughs, and expressions of the times but also on the patient, meticulous, and dedicated cultivation and support of the local government. Hashtag: #FlorenceInternationalHandicraftFair The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Zawya
11-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
How a Chinese Copper Art Workshop from Jiande Win Hearts, Applause in Florence
FLORENCE, ITALY - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 June 2025 - From April 25 to May 1, the 89th Florence International Handicraft Fair in Italy was held. Tongshifu, a company from east China's Jiande City, stood out among more than 530 exhibitors worldwide with its exquisite copper artworks and received extensive attention. At the dazzling booth of Tongshifu, every piece, from delicate and compact copper gourds to magnificent statues of Guan Gong, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, demonstrates a high level of artistry by taking the traditional lost-wax copper casting technique as the core and integrating modern aesthetics and cultural elements. The sculpture of Bumblebee from "Transformers," in particular, is an eye-catching Tongshifu collaboration with an internationally renowned IP. Using the high-temperature coloring technology for copper materials, it restores the mechanical texture and heroic fighting posture of the movie character, winning thumbs-up from numerous audiences. These exquisitely crafted, vivid, and well-balanced artworks not only carry forward the time-honored inheritance of Chinese copper art but also convey the vitality of modern innovation. Behind the stunning debut of Tongshifu at the fair lies the unremitting efforts of Jiande, where its headquarters is located, in painstakingly forging and cultivating cultural enterprises over the years, which have breathed new life into local traditional culture. Founded in 2014, Tongshifu faced many problems, such as a shortage of funds, in the initial stage of its business. Keenly aware of the start-up's problem and potential, the local government of Jiande took the initiative to assist the enterprise in applying for specific supportive funds totaling over 4 million yuan, a timely boost to the development of the start-up. Meanwhile, Jiande has attached great importance to highlighting cultural inheritance, which is the soul of Tongshifu's success. In 2020, Jiande conducted in-depth visits to Tongshifu to explore the value of the traditional techniques behind it, and helped the lost-wax copper casting technique of Tongshifu to be recognized as a local intangible cultural heritage. In 2024, the lost-wax copper casting intangible cultural heritage workshop was selected as the second batch of provincial-level projects in Zhejiang. This has not only continuously enhanced the brand cultural connotation of the enterprise but also attracted broader attention to this ancient technique. The ability of Tongshifu to reach the global stage of the Florence International Handicraft Fair benefits from the charm of the intangible cultural heritage behind it, as well as the accumulation and breakthrough of its design aesthetics, technological innovation, and cultural integration capabilities. As early as 2021, Jiande held a cultural and creative design competition, encouraging enterprises to showcase the development of the times with traditional techniques. Jiande is known for hosting the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station, China's first large-scale hydropower station. The local government collaborated with Tongshifu to develop a copper relief painting of the hydropower station, setting a successful example of modern expressions of traditional culture. Today, thanks to continuous launches of new artworks with both artistic and collection value, Tongshifu has become a well-known brand with annual sales of hundreds of millions of yuan and 5 million fans. The lost-wax copper casting technique has a complex process and high costs, with each artwork requiring an independent wax mold, and the production process taking 30 to 45 days. In fact, for an enterprise like Tongshifu to shine on the world stage, it relies not only on the inheritance of culture, technological breakthroughs, and expressions of the times but also on the patient, meticulous, and dedicated cultivation and support of the local government. Hashtag: #FlorenceInternationalHandicraftFair The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Jiande Information Office
