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August 16, 2014

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400 foreign kung fu enthusiasts hope to make grade

By Yang Jian | August 16, 2014, Saturday | Print Edition

SOME 400 martial arts enthusiasts from overseas are this weekend taking China’s national martial arts gradings at the Chin Woo Gymnasium and the Chin Woo Park that opened yesterday in Hongkou District.

Representing different schools of kung fu, such as taichi, changquan and chin woo, the group from 15 nations — including the United States, Switzerland and Canada — is the first batch of foreigners to take part in the national gradings, said officials.

They took part in the Chin Woo Park opening ceremony yesterday and will have gradings today and tomorrow at the Tihui Road gymnasium.

Chinese coaches will mark their performance and grade them according to the national martial arts standard, said Hua Dongping, executive deputy director with the Chin Woo Athletic Federation.

“It will be the first that foreigners are allowed to take part in the test, in a bid to promote the martial arts spirit around the world,” Hua said on the sidelines on the opening ceremony of the Chin Woo Park, formerly Quyang Park.

China’s martial arts national standards have nine levels.

Among those attending yesterday’s event was George Tsimpinoudakis, a 53-year-old government official from Greece and a changquan coach.

“I was obsessed with kung fu from movies and flew to China to study changquan in 2007,” Tsimpinoudakis said.

Changquan is said to have been created by Zhao Kuangyin, the first emperor of Song Dynasty (960-1279), who is reputed to have defeated all his enemies with kung fu skills to gain the throne.

In contrast to the enthusiasm of foreigners for China’s martial arts, many young Chinese show little interest — even the descendants of legendary figures.

Attending yesterday’s ceremony was 65-year-old Huo Zizheng, the great grandson of Chinese martial arts master Huo Yuanjia.

The new park is home to bronze sculptures of martial arts heroes, including Huo Yuanjia.

But Huo Zizheng said his grandson has not continued the family heritage of mizong boxing — a style Huo Yuanjia used around 1910 to defeat a foreign boxer in Shanghai.

Huo Yuanjia founded the Chin Woo Athletic Association in Shanghai in the 1900s.

“I have to break the family rule to pass it over to students with other surnames to avoid the skills being lost,” Huo said.

The park will host free — sometimes bilingual — kung fu lessons for locals and expats every morning, said Hua.

 

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