舞龙舞狮在香港越来越受欢迎

The Year of the Dragon has seen a rise in popularity for dragon and lion dance performances in Hong Kong, where thousands of groups are practicing this festive sport. What’s different here is that it’s the kids in kindergarten and elementary schools that have become the backbone of the activity, seen at competitions throughout the city.
龙年见证了舞龙舞狮表演在香港的声名鹊起，香港有几千个团体开展这项节日运动。不同的地方在于幼儿园和小学的孩子成为这项活动的支柱，在全市的比赛中都可以见到他们。

At one competition of dragon and lion dance performers, the first place winner was this four-year-old girl. Despite her age, she was not short of the feisty spirit required for the sport.
在一场舞龙舞狮表演比赛中，第一名是这位四岁的女孩。虽然她的年龄小，但是她并不缺少运动所需要的好胜精神。

Currently, more than half of the elementary and middle schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong, have their own dragon and lion dance teams. Parents see the activity as a release from their children’s regular lives, which are flooded with inactivity, computers and video games.
目前，香港一半以上的中小学和幼儿园有自己的舞龙舞狮队。家长将这项活动视为他们孩子常规生活的一种释放，他们的常规生活都是不运动的，充斥着电脑和视频游戏。

A mother of the performer in Hong Kong said "I have two children on this team. I want them to have a strong body. We are Chinese, I want them to learn something about Chinese traditions."
香港一位表演者的母亲称：“我有两个小孩在这支队伍里。我想要他们拥有一个强壮的体魄。我们是中国人，我想他们学一些与中国传统相关的东西。”

The organizer of the competition aims to popularize the sport among children and teenagers. Ha Tak Kin, a third generation performer of the renowned Ha Kwok Cheung Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe, says compared to the popularity of this sport nowadays, decades ago it was a different story.
比赛组织者试图在儿童和青少年中间推广这项运动。著名的夏国璋龙狮团的第三代表演人Ha Tak Kin表示，和这项运动现在的受欢迎相比，几十年前是一个不同的故事。

Ha Tak Kin said "In the 1970s, all people thought lion and dragon dances were a negative thing for children, as it would drag them away from their studies. And people thought such performances were related to street vendors or something. Now we are altering people’s ideas towards the sport. Because without the practice of youngsters, this sport can’t be passed down."
Ha Tak Kin称：“在上世纪70年代，所有人都认为舞龙舞狮对小孩子来说是一种负面的东西，因为它会使他们远离学习。人们认为这样的表演和街头小贩或诸如此类的东西相关。现在，我们正朝体育运动方向改变人们的想法。因为没有年轻人的练习，这项运动不能被传承下去。”

The sport which has a long history dating back to ancient times, is now being embraced in modern cosmopolitan cities like Hong Kong.
这项运动有很长的历史，可以追溯到远古时代，现在它正被像香港这样的现代化世界性城市所接受。