Dragon Dance, Mask Changing and Shaolin Kungfu, Highlights from 2013 Westwood Chinese Cultural Night

Photos by John Tsou, Video by David Li, bostonese.com

Westwood, Mass. — On May 11, 2013 at 7:30 PM, Westwood Chinese Culture Association and Westwood Chinese School hosted the 6th Annual Westwood Chinese Cultural Night in the Westwood High School auditorium. About 500 people packed the auditorium and enjoyed a night full of wonderful music, dance, opera, kungfu and other Chinese cultural performances.
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“As this year is our six year, and my last year in Westwood High, we have striven to present internationally distinguished performers who have mastered skills that many people have never seen before,” said Kimberly Huang of Westwood Chinese Cultural Association. Miss Huang is a senior at Westwood High School, and will attend Yale University this fall.

Nai-Yi Zhao, a famous Chinese opera performer from China, together with his wife Yuzhi Tang, performed the rare and mysterious art of Mask-Changing. Because of its surreal nature, it has been ranked in China as a level-two national secret.


The Chinese Folk Art Workshop brought a wide range of traditional Chinese arts. The performers, trained in dragon dancing, diabolo, lion dancing, drums and more, were certified by the White House’s President’s Volunteer Service Award as a Gold Youth Organization to honor the members’ contributions to the community.




After the intermission, Westwood Chinese School’s martial arts, chorus, and dance students and teachers performed. Master Shi Hengzhen, a 35th generation martial arts master from China’s Shaolin Temple and was invited to perform for President Obama and President Hu of China. Ms. Shi runs the Boston Shaolin Kungfu Center in Quincy Mass..

Other notable performers included Wu Ying, a professional opera singer, and Clare Lee, who danced with her dynamic dance troop, Dance Revelasian. More pictures can be found at: www.flickr.com/photos/84397634@N02/sets/72157633489652290/with/8736829362/