Chinese drum play wooed by foreign students

A traditional Chinese drum playing competition took place on a stage erected in Beijing's Grand View Garden on Thursday, attracting hundreds of foreign students keen to learn the ancient art,

After two elimination rounds over the past few days, ten teams from different districts were picked from an original line-up of fifty. The top prize eventually went to the Baizhifang Drum Team.

Hundreds of foreign students from Beijing Language and Culture University were invited by the Xuanwu Tourism Bureau to watch the activity, as well as the subsequent folk performances involving such traditionally Chinese elements as face changing and Chinese Qigong. They also visited the Grand View Garden, which is the shooting site for the TV series "Dream of the Red Mansion", based on one of China's four classic works of ancient literature.

The activity sought to promote Beijing traditional folk culture and tourism resources in the district, Xuanwu Tourism Bureau said. The bureau also signed an agreement with the university to develop cultural exchange cooperation.

It is reported that the winning Baizhifang Drum Team gave a performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony, and also at a carnival in South Africa last year.