Wushu Master Challenge concludes
The 2017 Wushu Master Challenge closed officially yesterday. A Wushu and lion dance parade took place at Senado Square, followed by a closing ceremony at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavillion.
The parade, which began with a lion dance at 5 P.M., was a sight to behold for many tourists.
After departing Senado Square, the parade passed the Ruins of St. Paul and the old Albergue of the Macau Holy House of Merc, until it eventually arrived at the Tap Seac Square.
A mainland tourist, surnamed Wang, praised the parade for being a wonderful show.
“It was quite good,” she said. “It is rather astonishing to have the chance to see Wushu masters performing.”
However, she admitted she would not return to Macau just for the event, saying that it could not compare with the other attractions Macau has to offer.
Another mainland tourist in her 20s, surnamed Zhang, admitted that she was not a fan of Wushu as a martial art and sport.
A third mainland tourist, surnamed Yuan, told the Times that the parade “was quite interesting [and] turned out to be a small surprise.”
Several others, including the companions of the aforementioned interviewees, also expressed their appreciation of the parade but did not comment further.
The closing ceremony of the Challenge, which took place yesterday at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavillion, featured 20 Wushu masters showcasing their martial arts performances. The group included five masters from Macau and 15 from mainland China, including a group from the Beijing Sports University.
The budget for this year’s Wushu Masters Challenge was MOP18 million, slightly less than the MOP20 million used for the first edition in 2016. The first edition of the event last year was widely criticized for the poor quality of some performances and low attendance at events.
Following the criticism, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam said that the authorities would review the event and evaluate whether it should be continued.
Following the criticism of last year’s edition, the ID organized a survey to assess the event. 59.4 percent of the locals surveyed, as well as 83 percent of the tourists, said they were satisfied with the event.
