Feature: Young inheritors show Dunhuang's ancient beauty on unicycles

LANZHOU, China, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- After 20 minutes riding on a unicycle, 12-year-old Chang Yixing wiped her forehead and sat on the playground to rest. Her colorful dance costume was shining under the sun.

Chang is a sixth-grader of Fulongping primary school in Lanzhou City of northwest China's Gansu Province. Many students including Chang of the school have been showing amazing dance of Dunhuang's ancient beauty on unicycles since 2018.

Dunhuang of Gansu Province is home to the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And the millennia-old Mogao Grottoes are home to a vast collection of Buddhist artworks -- more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals are located in 735 caves.

Different cultures from the east and west merged in Dunhuang, which was a famous major stopover on the Silk Road about 2,000 years ago. It's an expressive way for these young inheritors to show Dunhuang's ancient beauty on unicycles thousands of years later.

"Showing the beauty of Dunhuang culture on unicycle is a great way to make people know more about wonderful Chinese culture." Chang said.

Wang Xiang, headmaster of the school, said that dance on the unicycle with Dunhuang cultural elements including dance movement, gestures, costumes and head accessories on unicycles displays the ancient beauty of Dunhuang.

"Dunhuang culture is profound with some elements that are difficult to understand," he said.

Chang has been practicing unicycle for two years. At the beginning, she fell off the unicycle a lot. After two weeks, she learned to find her balance and fell in love with the sport.

Dong Li, Chang's physical education teacher, always gave encouragements to his students and believed it was easier for kids to ride a unicycle.

"Children are light and smart, so it shouldn't take too long to master the skills of riding unicycles," Dong said.

Wang said that all the students of the school have been practicing unicycles every day during the past few years.

"Sports like unicycle make my students confident. Every student can get joy from sports," said Wang.

Chang believed that sports were already a part of her life and she enjoyed herself on unicycle.

"I love riding on it," she said.