武当武术 武术论坛 武术商城 [ 武功院通知:太极拳养生班开始报名 ]

ENGLISH会员中心在线留言

您现在的位置:武当武术网 > 走进武功院 > 媒体报道 > [China Daily]Just a natural mystic

Just a natural mystic
By Zhu Linyong (China Daily)

On a summer evening in 2005, an official from Shiyan, a city at the foot of Wudang Mountain, in Hubei province, was walking home from the office when he was attacked from behind.
"I tried to get a clear look at the man's face while fighting and found it was my teacher Li!" recalls Yue Wu, who has taught thousands of college students self-defense skills.
Numerous others have benefited from the 40-something master's video teaching programs on the Internet during his three-decade martial arts career.
"Finding the right master is one thing, winning trust and learning skills is another," Yue says.
Yue was born in an impoverished rural village near Wudang Mountain, where the locals are fond of practicing kungfu for self-defense.
He started studying kungfu seriously in highschool under the guidance of Kang Wuye and Chen Yongxia, two local masters.
He continued practicing as a university student in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province where Yue earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business management and project management.
Yue first met Master Li, the man who "attacked" him, in 1995. After six months of intensive training at his natural mystic boxing school (ziran shenda) of martial arts, Li said goodbye to Yue: "I will come back to check on you in 10 years."
After keeping his promise in such an unexpected manner, he taught Yue more skills and worked on his weaknesses, before saying goodbye once again, not even bothering to stay for a night.
"I still don't know his full name," Yue says. "But I will always remember him as my beloved teacher."
He met another influential teacher figure in 1995, after he heard of a hermit-like master named Liu Lihang, who was the 22nd guru of the Chunyang sect, part of the Wudang school of martial arts.
However, the 93-year-old master refused to instruct him at first, claiming he had nothing special to teach.
Yue decided to take a tactful approach to win the old master's trust. He first learned from Liu's students, then, over four years, he paid numerous visits to Liu and showed him his skills.
As Yue did not know how to do certain movements properly, his awkward performance made the old man uncomfortable. He was forced to give occasional instruction.
It was not until the end of 1998 that Liu was moved by Yue's sincerity and finally took him on as his disciple.
When it came to becoming a teacher himself, Yue did not want to give his disciples such a hard time. Now, kungfu enthusiasts can find Yue demonstrating his martial arts on many major websites and video programs.
"Chinese kungfu is not as dazzling and powerful as it's depicted in kungfu movies, where warriors show off gravity-defying stunts and magic, lethal skills," says Yue, who has been practicing, researching, and spreading Chinese kungfu for over three decades.
"But no one can ignore the fact that Chinese kungfu has withstood the test of time and is widely known as a profound traditional form of self-defense and healthcare."
Yue is proud of his students' performances at the opening ceremony of the Third World Traditional Wushu Championships last month in a dirt square halfway up Wudang Mountain, a Mecca of Chinese kungfu and Taoism.
The kungfu gathering attracted some 2,000 contestants aged between 4 and 86, from 69 countries and regions.
More than 2,000 college students from Shiyan amazed visitors with their elegant and powerful Wudang taichi at the opening ceremony. They all learned the basics from Yue.
Yue and his colleagues at Shiyan Wudang Martial Arts Research Society have promoted martial arts to most of the high schools and colleges in the city.
To help preserve the Chunyang Sect Wudang martial arts, Yue opened a kungfu club, a website and the Shiyan Wudang Martial Arts Research Society.
He has published over 20 books and DVDs of Wudang Chunyang martial arts.
Today, Yue splits his time between being a "model civil servant" at the local human resources and social welfare bureau, and kungfu master.
"The more you learn the more you are intrigued," admits Yue, who is trying to reformulate coaching methods, competition and ranking for Wudang martial arts - part of his plan to make it famous worldwide.