Chinese Festival swings intoOlympic Centrein Lisburn

The gymnastics and Tai Chi event was performed by gymnasts from the Salto Gymnastics Centre and a Tai Chi master and pupil in Lisburn as part of a series of events marking the launch of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ulster (CIUU).

The Salto Centre has been chosen as a training base for China’s artistic gymnasts for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Dean of the Faculty of the Arts, Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh said: “This is an obvious link-up for the Confucius Institute. Salto is a national centre of excellence, and the decision of the Chinese gymnastics team to base itself here for pre-Olympic training cements Salto’s growing international reputation.

“We hope that this and other events organised during Chinese Culture Week will give people a taste of the country’s rich culture and help them develop an appetite for more knowledge about China.”

Northern Ireland’s only Confucius Institute formally came into being with a colourful opening ceremony in Jordanstown on April 13 attended by China’s most senior female politician, Madame Liu Yandong, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson, deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and other dignitaries.