The NEWS, Islamabad-To celebrate International Women’s Day, Dr Jiang, wife of the ambassador of China, hosted a get-together at the Chinese embassy which was attended by women from different walks of life with Mrs Kayani as the guest of honour. After a short period of interaction to greet and meet each other a colourful programme of song, dance, martial arts and the Chinese tea ceremony was presented to the audience, beginning on time so those who came late missed the beginning.

There were two demonstration of “Wu Shu” or Chinese Kung fu as it is known. The first was demonstrated by a young man while the second saw a girl showing the technique. The warm-up begins with slow dance like movements - poetry in motion, you may say-while the action sequence is fast and furious and looked quite deadly! The first dance by the ladies of the embassy including our hostess, was “The Blessing of Spring” and with the ladies dressed in blue, they looked liked bluebirds, which also herald spring.

This was followed by three female students of NUML who are learning Urdu singing “Dil DilPakistan” a Pakistani national song which is very popular and they deserve an “A” for effort because they also recited a poem by Allama Iqbal. The dance “Love Never Ends” also by the ladies of the embassy was followed by the ambassador’s daughter doing a modern dance to what sounded like a cheerleader song-“Left, left, right, right, go, go, go!” “Dance of the Heavenly Road” came next followed by “Married Daughter Returns Home” also performed by the ambassador’s daughter who is a talented and confident young girl. The last number was a folk dance on a faster beat and the audience joined in clapping along to the music. There are 56 ethnic groups in China-a fact we came to know after a child in the audience answered the question correctly - and each has its own traditions and costumes. These are worn when the ladies perform the dances, so the stage is alive with colour and movement.

In between performances the two anchorpersons spoke about women’s empowerment and gave bits of information on each act and also spoke of the strong bilateral ties betweenChina and Pakistan saying cultural exchanges were also an important component of these ties. The Chinese tea ceremony has four basic principles-harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The tea ceremony is a way to focus mental energies, relax and enjoy a tradition that is very ancient. The four principles represent the highest ideals of humanity. It is important to reflect on these principles for one’s own spiritual growth, acquire peace of mind and walk into the world with peaceful thoughts.

There are many Chinese students studying in NUML and it is hoped that soon there will be a more frequent exchange of cultural delegations. A lunch of Chinese specialties followed served in the reception hall of the embassy, which had also been decorated for the occasion.