By Xinhua writers Ren Yaoting, Peng Zhuo

FLORENCE, Italy, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dragon, a volleyball match was in full swing in Scandicci, a city in northern Italy, close to the famous historical city of Florence. During breaks, drums and gongs blared and the red and gold colors of the Chinese New Year filled the stadium. The dragon and lion dances, performed by dozens of professional martial arts performers, brought down the house.

The Kung Fu performance team is composed of all Italians, all of whom come from the same martial arts teaching institution, Traditional Kung Fu School, which has set Florence and Rome branches.

As the head of the Florence branch, Kung Fu teacher Nicola Pastorino's passion with martial arts began in the early 1980s, when he first traveled to Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, which is famous for practicing martial arts.

"When I saw it (dragon dance) for the first time in Foshan, I fell in love with art, music, choreography, and the philosophical content behind it," said Pastorino, adding that dragon dance could well represent Chinese traditional culture.

Shocked by traditional Chinese Kung Fu, Pastorino decided to bring the art of dragon and lion dance back to Italy. In 1995, the Florence branch of the Kung Fu school was established, and Pastorino has then trained groups of Italian martial arts lovers in the past 30 years.

Dragon and lion dances are very popular in Italy, Pastorino said, adding that their institutes host multiple commercial performances every year. Moreover, martial arts performances attract students not only from Florence, but also from nearby regions.

For Daria, a student who didn't give her full name, practicing lion dance is a "lifetime experience." She was born in Genoa, over 200 km away from Florence, but she was attracted by Kung Fu and comes to the school to practice lion dance each week. "I began to learn lion dance at the age of seven, which is a charming sport."

Her boyfriend, Fabrizio Vito, also practices dragon dance at school. For him, Kung Fu has "completely changed his life."

"I was reserved and shy, but practicing dragon dance helped me open my heart ... Kung Fu is an excellent traditional art with both internal and external training," said Vito. Enditem

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