A team performs a dragon dance at East Zhonghua Gate Historical and Cultural Block in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nanjing Daily]

On Feb 27, 12 dragon and lion dance teams from across China made a dazzling appearance at Nanjing's Mendong Historical and Cultural Block for a spirited competition. Among them, 31 young international students from Nigeria, Ghana, Bangladesh, Morocco, Myanmar, and other countries also joined in the event.

The Nanjing University of Science and Technology team showcased three performances. One of them featured a combination of a seven-person dragon dance, a large-headed mascot show, two lion dances, and four ribbon dances.

The NJUST team has won numerous honors as the university's sports director, Ge Guozheng, who is also the secretary-general of the Jiangsu Dragon and Lion Dance Association, initiated dragon dance clubs in all departments of the university in 2000. NJUST has nurtured over 20,000 dragon and lion dance enthusiasts over the years.

The team from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications comprised eight female students from Russia, Algeria, Morocco, and other countries. A Russian freshman expressed excitement at experiencing this "new sport" in China, finding it fascinating and planning to promote it to friends and family back home. She also expressed interest in introducing other forms of traditional Chinese culture to her acquaintances.

Ge highlighted the growing international influence of dragon and lion dances, noting that over 30 countries and regions are members of the International Dragon and Lion Dance Federation. During the Spring Festival, performances like dragon and lion dances in London's Trafalgar Square attracted over 700,000 locals.

As of 4:00 pm that day, Mendong block had welcomed 25,000 visitors, marking a 25 percent increase compared to the previous day.