Recently, the 14th Taoli Cup National Youth Dance Education and Teaching Achievement Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was held in Beijing. Guangxi University (GXU) School of Arts stood out with its original dance piece, "Yunjian 'Yao' Wang," which was selected from more than 1,300 national entries to advance to the national live performance and then successfully completed the show.

The original choreography for "Yunjian 'Yao' Wang" was created and guided by three GXU faculty members from the School of Arts: Fu Yiling, Nong Chuanque, and Liao Guoying. Inspired by the Red Yao people (an ethnic subgroup known for traditional farming and distinctive culture) of Longsheng Autonomous County in Guangxi and their farming traditions, the performance features dancers holding cultivation staffs and unfolds across three artistic dimensions: Dawn Cultivation Vision, Till, Soil and Bountiful Harvest. The piece portrays the labor scenes of the Yao people from sunrise to golden sunset, expressing a celebration of hard work and a forward-looking optimism in the new era. It artistically renders the vitality of rural communities amid green mountains and clear rivers, paying homage to cultivation and honoring the times.

The Taoli Cup, staged every three years, is regarded as the“Oscars of Chinese dance” and serves as a prestigious benchmark for assessing universities’ dance education, and original artistry. GXU’s successful qualification for the national live performance showcases the university’s strength in original arts creation and talent cultivation. It also highlights the School of Arts’ commitment to rooted, regional cultural cultivation and the practical advancement of aesthetic education.