平凡人 非凡梦 | 独竹漂技艺传承人杨柳

“我希望让独竹漂划出国门，漂向世界。”

今年已经是杨柳传承独竹漂技艺的第17个年头。这位25岁的贵州姑娘从7岁开始，便跟随奶奶一起学习这项独特技艺。为了让更多人了解独竹漂，杨柳将舞蹈与汉服等元素融入表演中。

一身古装、舞姿翩翩，宛若“水中仙子”，杨柳的表演让外国观众惊叹：“这是东方芭蕾！”“水上功夫！”

一个人，两根竹竿，十多年来杨柳走遍全国各地为观众呈现了3000余场演出。她说，每一次宣传表演都是挑战，但“哪里需要我，我就会去。”

现在，杨柳认为独竹漂不仅仅是一项技艺，更是传播中华传统文化的重要途径。

Yang Liu, a 25-year-old inheritor of single bamboo drifting, has given over 3,000 performances of the traditional sport across the country in the past 10 years. She aspires to familiarize people with it not just in the country but the entire world.

Born and bred in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Yang started learning to drift on a bamboo pole on the water at the age of 7 with her grandmother. In the beginning, she treated it just as a way to keep fit. But later on, she developed a deep interest when she managed to pull off some basic dance moves while drifting on the water.

Yang Liu, a 25-year-old inheritor of single bamboo drifting, practicing balancing with a bamboo pole. /Screenshot from video

With each bold attempt, her confidence grew. She later incorporated traditional Chinese costumes, Hanfu, into her performances. A girl dancing on the water while wearing Hanfu – it was a sight to behold. It earned the performance names like "aquatic ballet" and "aquatic kung fu."

But Yang didn't just stop there. Having a soft corner in her heart for persons with disabilities, she embedded sign language into her choreography, thereby not only promoting Chinese culture across communities, but also becoming a channel to tell people that "as long as you are willing to make some breakthroughs and attempts, you can also find your value."

Yang Liu poses during a performance of single bamboo drifting. /Screenshot from video

Since 2020, Yang has been actively popularizing the technique on social media platforms, where she has earned millions of followers and likes from home and abroad. She told CGTN that there have been voices of doubt against what she does but she keeps a positive attitude.

"I think it all makes me happy because it means I have succeeded in introducing single bamboo drifting to the world," she said.

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