Forge the Mind through Martial Arts, Pursue Excellence with Determination

To me, the most precious gift in my life has never been easy glory, but rather martial arts practice I began at the age of four. As an ancient saying goes, “The sword’s edge comes from sharpening, the plum blossom’s fragrance from winter’s cold.” This journey has not been one of unrestrained ease, but of daily forging and unwavering perseverance. It is more than the honing of martial skills; it is a cultivation of the mind and character. It has taught me the meaning of persistence and the power of focus, and has armored me with resilience, enabling me to advance calmly and confidently toward every unknown challenge that lies ahead. This is the spiritual bedrock that Chinese martial arts have forged into my bones.

Documentary Video

I. Tempered Through a Thousand Grinds: The Practice Within Monotonous Basic Training

In December 2012, at just four years old, I stepped into the gymnasium of Tsinghua University, drawn by a child’s vague curiosity about martial arts. There I had the honor of studying under Professor Zhang Jidong, a World Martial Arts Champion at Tsinghua, marking the beginning of my journey in martial arts. At the time, I was still in K2 (ages 4–5)—too young to grasp what perseverance meant, or the cultural depth behind the saying that the true purpose of martial arts is to stop conflict. All I knew was that I had to train three or four times a week, two hours each session, rain or shine, without ever missing one session. Training alongside me were my classmate Jianan and the professor’s daughter. Together on the gym floor, we stretched, held our stances, and polished our movements. Every punch thrown and every kick delivered left a deep imprint of our growth, and each carried within it the purest passion and devotion of our youth.

Figure 1. Daily Basic Training

Looking back now, my early days of learning martial arts held none of the romantic sword-wandering I had imagined — only day-after-day tedium and hardship. Yet that hardship was exactly the starting point of growth, the foremost cornerstone for cultivating one’s mind and character. No session started without its half-hour warm-up—joint mobility, limb stretching, and dynamic stretching. No detail was overlooked. Our teacher often said, “In martial arts, condition the body first; only when the body is steady can the mind be calm.” Only by fully awakening the body could we build a solid foundation for subsequent training and avoid injury. After the warm-up came the tedious, repetitive basic training: shoulder and arm training—shoulder pressed and arm circled until our arms ached and could barely lift, yet we rested only briefly before pushing on; waist training—forward waist bends and waist rotations, each stretch accompanied by the soreness and swelling in every sinew and bone, yet we strove for perfection; and leg training, a true test of endurance and flexibility—forward presses, side presses, kicks, and leg holds. To execute every movement correctly, we often endured sweat beading on our foreheads and legs going numb, yet the thought of giving up never truly crossed our minds.

Figure 2. Daily Practice at the Gymnasium

II. Perseverance Unyielding: Growth and Transformation Through Bitter Cold and Scorching Heat

As a young child, there were moments when I felt like shrinking back or slacking off, when the thought of giving up crossed my mind. In the depths of winter, the gymnasium turned bitterly cold; taking off my heavy coat, I was hit by gusts of cold wind mixed with exhaustion, and every kick, every stance hold became especially hard. In the sweltering heat of summer, sweat soaked one shirt after another, running down my forehead and blurring my vision, while the ache in my limbs steadily wore down my patience. More than once I wanted to stop and rest, and even thought I would never train again. Yet whenever I was about to quit, the friends training beside me would lend a hand. We supported each other and encouraged one another; when tired we exchanged a smile, and during breaks we compared techniques and corrected each other’s movements. Professor Zhang Jidong stayed by our side throughout, patiently guiding every movement and demonstrating the standard form again and again, telling us gently but firmly, “To learn martial arts, cultivate the mind first; only with perseverance can achievement come.”

This companionship and guidance were like a beam of light, illuminating the road ahead and giving me the courage to overcome difficulties. Gritting my teeth, I told myself, “Perseverance can carve gold and stone” — I could not give up halfway. Even when my movements fell short of the standard, even when my body was utterly exhausted, I followed my teacher’s rhythm, adjusting bit by bit and refining again and again, surpassing my own limits through perseverance and growing through tempering. In this way I endured cold winter after cold winter and hot summer after hot summer, and pulled through fatigue and setback after setback, burying the thought of retreat deep within and etching the belief in perseverance into my bones.

Figure 3. My Teacher’s Guidance

Six years of unwavering dedication and eight years of uninterrupted training turned the tedious basic training into a solid martial arts foundation, and through day-after-day perseverance I developed a tenacious will and character that never yield. I came to understand that martial arts are never a skill achieved overnight, but a long journey of cultivation— it taught me to settle my mind and focus on the task at hand, without rushing for results; it taught me to face difficulties head-on and break through with courage, without fear of setback; and it taught me to keep my feet on the ground and press forward with steady effort, understanding the truth of “no pain, no gain.” As training intensity and difficulty rose step by step, I not only mastered standard martial arts movements, but also learned how to stay calm under pressure and how to adjust my mindset in hardship. This growth had long since gone beyond the learning of skills itself, becoming the most precious wealth in my life.

III. Years in the Making: Glory and Medals on the Competition Stage

Years of accumulated depth led naturally to a brilliant release; years of arduous training finally paid off. “Heaven rewards the earnest.” My first competition representing the school was the Beijing Primary and Secondary School Students Martial Arts Open Competition in 2015, where I won first place in Elementary Level 2, Primary School Boys Group B. In the years that followed I kept winning awards at Beijing-level, national, and even international events: in 2016 and 2017, first place consecutively at the Beijing Martial Arts Competition for Traditional Sports Schools; in 2018, the championship at the Beijing Youth Martial Arts Super League; and in 2019, third place in Optional Broadsword at the Beijing open competition, fifth place in Broadsword (Primary School Boys Group A) at the Chinese Secondary School Students Martial Arts Championship, and first place in Broadsword, Overseas Men M3 Category, at the 16th Hong Kong International Martial Arts Festival (“Ai Wushu Cup”).

Figure 4. At a martial arts competition (partial display)

Every honor is a recognition of my years of perseverance, and more than that, a medal on my path of growth. Yet I know well that “Progress even at the peak, embrace the whole world” — these honors are not a finish line, but the driving force that pushes me forward, and the best echo of all my past efforts. Eight years of martial arts practice have long since become part of me, the most vivid backdrop of my life. It has shaped my physique, giving me a healthy body and a resolute bearing, and tempered my character, endowing me with the courage to face difficulties, an attitude of focus and determination, and an awareness of teamwork and cooperation. This experience has taught me that no growth comes without perseverance, and no success is reached without staying grounded and pressing forward with steady effort.

Figure 5. Martial arts competition award certificates (partial display) 

IV. Martial Arts as a Bridge: The Mission and Responsibility of Cross-cultural Exchange

Even after I entered middle school and high school, as academic pressure kept growing, I never gave up my love for martial arts or my practice. I kept using my spare time to refine my movements and consolidate my foundation.

At the end of 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic had just broken out, I was traveling in Cyprus with my family and ended up stranded there. In the rented apartment, I had to attend online classes of the Affiliated Primary School of Peking University while also enrolled at the local Foley’s School. Children in the neighborhood watched me practice every day and took a strong interest in Chinese martial arts. This led me to embark on my martial arts teaching journey and planted the seeds for years of cross-cultural friendship with my friends. After returning to Wuhan in 2021, I occasionally coached the children in Cyprus over video calls. Neighbors kept bringing more children who liked martial arts to learn from me. A year later, I went to the UK to study. My classmates gradually learned of my skill, and in my spare time I taught martial arts to a few of those who were interested. During a holiday I went back home, one of my closest friends (?) — who was then a freshman at Beijing Sport University — invited me to join a martial arts exchange activity. I gradually realized that martial arts are excellent medium for promoting interpersonal connection and cultural understanding, so I began to look for more platforms and opportunities to keep doing this work in my spare time.

At the end of 2024, I found the China-Cyprus Friendship Promotion Association online and felt this was exactly where I could make a difference, so I wrote to the President of the association. She was very interested in what I wanted to do, and told me that there were quite a few martial arts enthusiasts and professionals in Cyprus. After months of detailed discussion and preparation — including researching the actual demand for the popularization of martial arts in the local community, seeking support from seasoned martial artists at home and abroad, and building the committee’s mission framework — we finally established the Martial Arts Exchange Committee of China-Cyprus Friendship Promotion Association in August 2025.

The committee’s core mission is to promote cultural exchange between China and Cyprus and to promote Chinese martial arts at home and abroad. As President, I am responsible for organizing exchange activities, recording demonstration videos, and writing articles for the official website.

Figure 6. Event Site of the Martial Arts Exchange Committee of China-Cyprus Friendship Promotion Association

The committee’s members now include international students from China, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and other countries, forming a diverse and inclusive international participation pattern. This has strengthened my conviction in using martial arts as a medium to promote cross-cultural exchange, and deepened my understanding of the inclusiveness and responsibility embodied in “All roads lead to the same destination through different paths.”

V. Forge the Mind through Martial Arts, Pursue Excellence with Determination: Passion and Perseverance for the Future

Forge the Mind through Martial Arts, Pursue Excellence with Determination. What martial arts have given me is not only a body of skills but also lifelong spiritual nourishment. “The road is long and arduous; I will search high and low.” Looking ahead, I will carry this growth with me, pressing on without rest and forging ahead toward the light. With tenacity, I will meet every challenge; with humility, I will embrace every step of growth. I will strive to be worthy of the time, worthy of myself, and above all worthy of the strength and hope that Chinese martial arts have entrusted to me.