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Boy's wushu dream comes true
By Xu Wenwen |
October 20, 2009, Tuesday
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A poor boy defied expectations, worked hard and realized his wushu (martial arts) dream in Hangzhou. And he's still dreaming.
Zhang Zuanzhi, 27, has won many wushu prizes, and has become a wushu instructor. He volunteers in the Zhejiang Province Love Foundation to teach tai chi to elderly people.
"From a poor country boy to a kung fu teacher in the big city, I persisted, I chose my way and I'll stick to my way," Zhang writes in his blog.
"Now that I have a start I'll keep moving on the way of wushu and realizing my dream."
Today Zhang is national-level social physical director, traditional wushu instructor (Level 2, foreign-oriented), a member of a China Wushu Assn and holder of two gold medals and three silvers in the last two Zhejiang International Wushu Competitions.
It was kung fu, pursuit of excellence, that has made him what he is and spurs him to press on.
This is his story:
He was born in 1982 to a poor farming family in Lanxi City, 130 kilometers south of Hangzhou. He was always a good boy and helped his parents in farm work and at home. He loved kung fu movies.
"I imagined I could fly and leap over forests and houses, like noble knights in the movies," he says.
Zhang lived with his parents and grandmother in a small decrepit house. His mother was deeply depressed and ran away from the family when Zhang was 13.
The boy and his father looked everywhere for her. One day they located her in the city and as they were returning home they passed a night market. There Zhang spotted a Chinese kung fu magazine.
"I squatted there, reading and reading until they urged me to leave. It was 2.75 yuan then (40 US cents)," he recalls. "I hesitated because I rarely asked my father for money. We got all the way to the bus stop when blurted out that I really wanted the book. My father agreed - he was probably so happy we found my mother."
After that he diligently pursued his kung fu dream.
When Zhang was 16, his nine years of compulsory education were over. His indigent family could not afford further education.
He started working as a farmer alongside his father but told his father he planned to go to a martial arts school.
"Though I knew it cost money, I had a plan to earn my tuition by working. I decided to realize my dream with my own labor."
In 1997, Zhang worked chopping vegetables and cleaning up in a small restaurant in Yiwu City, famous for its small commodities. His monthly salary was 300 yuan. He slept on a table at night and ate leftovers.
He worked nonstop from 3am to 10pm and worked like a robot. In winter he had to wash vegetables in freezing water and there were red chilblains on his hands.
"I consoled myself that I could learn kung fu when I saved enough.
To earn more, Zhang switched to butchering chickens and ducks in a food market, collecting feathers and cleaning up. One day he killed more than 900 chickens. His hands were blistered and bleeding.
In the summer of 2001, when Zhang was 20, he had finally saved 8,000 yuan after four years' work.
Kind teachers
He walked into his dream palace, the Lanxi Shaolin Martial Arts School, and joined a kung fu class.
"I felt like I was a small bird that finally was able to fly into a tree," Zhang recalls.
He practiced hard, working part time at the school, never missing class even when he was sick. He won awards every semester.
"The teachers knew my story, and the headmaster waived part of my tuition," he says. "That made me work harder to show my appreciation for their kindness and love."
For two years he learned all kinds of wushu, unarmed and with weapons. He had taken the first step.
After graduation, Zhang went to Hangzhou and worked as a security guard. He read in the newspaper that every morning kung fu professionals and beginners were practicing in a park along the West Lake.
He joined immediately and now is a backbone of the kung fu club.
Zheng Ying, founder and teacher of the group recalls: "One day I was teaching as usual and Zhang suddenly arrived and imitated him. He was so good that I figured him for a professional at first sight."
Zhang was overjoyed to find like-minded people with whom to study, practice and share skills and experience. He was inspired.
"Since the people were mostly college students and foreigners, I was driven to improve my cultural knowledge. Though my own education was not strong, I am a strong and willing learner."
Two years ago, Zhang resigned as a security guard and became a professional kung fu teacher in several kindergartens and schools. In his spare time he volunteers for the Zhejiang Province Love Foundation, teaching martial arts to the elderly.
"I accepted helping hands when I was poor, so I am obliged to help others with my own small skills," Zhang says.
"Helping others makes me so happy."
Zhang Zuanzhi, 27, has won many wushu prizes, and has become a wushu instructor. He volunteers in the Zhejiang Province Love Foundation to teach tai chi to elderly people.
"From a poor country boy to a kung fu teacher in the big city, I persisted, I chose my way and I'll stick to my way," Zhang writes in his blog.
"Now that I have a start I'll keep moving on the way of wushu and realizing my dream."
Today Zhang is national-level social physical director, traditional wushu instructor (Level 2, foreign-oriented), a member of a China Wushu Assn and holder of two gold medals and three silvers in the last two Zhejiang International Wushu Competitions.
It was kung fu, pursuit of excellence, that has made him what he is and spurs him to press on.
This is his story:
He was born in 1982 to a poor farming family in Lanxi City, 130 kilometers south of Hangzhou. He was always a good boy and helped his parents in farm work and at home. He loved kung fu movies.
"I imagined I could fly and leap over forests and houses, like noble knights in the movies," he says.
Zhang lived with his parents and grandmother in a small decrepit house. His mother was deeply depressed and ran away from the family when Zhang was 13.
The boy and his father looked everywhere for her. One day they located her in the city and as they were returning home they passed a night market. There Zhang spotted a Chinese kung fu magazine.
"I squatted there, reading and reading until they urged me to leave. It was 2.75 yuan then (40 US cents)," he recalls. "I hesitated because I rarely asked my father for money. We got all the way to the bus stop when blurted out that I really wanted the book. My father agreed - he was probably so happy we found my mother."
After that he diligently pursued his kung fu dream.
When Zhang was 16, his nine years of compulsory education were over. His indigent family could not afford further education.
He started working as a farmer alongside his father but told his father he planned to go to a martial arts school.
"Though I knew it cost money, I had a plan to earn my tuition by working. I decided to realize my dream with my own labor."
In 1997, Zhang worked chopping vegetables and cleaning up in a small restaurant in Yiwu City, famous for its small commodities. His monthly salary was 300 yuan. He slept on a table at night and ate leftovers.
He worked nonstop from 3am to 10pm and worked like a robot. In winter he had to wash vegetables in freezing water and there were red chilblains on his hands.
"I consoled myself that I could learn kung fu when I saved enough.
To earn more, Zhang switched to butchering chickens and ducks in a food market, collecting feathers and cleaning up. One day he killed more than 900 chickens. His hands were blistered and bleeding.
In the summer of 2001, when Zhang was 20, he had finally saved 8,000 yuan after four years' work.
Kind teachers
He walked into his dream palace, the Lanxi Shaolin Martial Arts School, and joined a kung fu class.
"I felt like I was a small bird that finally was able to fly into a tree," Zhang recalls.
He practiced hard, working part time at the school, never missing class even when he was sick. He won awards every semester.
"The teachers knew my story, and the headmaster waived part of my tuition," he says. "That made me work harder to show my appreciation for their kindness and love."
For two years he learned all kinds of wushu, unarmed and with weapons. He had taken the first step.
After graduation, Zhang went to Hangzhou and worked as a security guard. He read in the newspaper that every morning kung fu professionals and beginners were practicing in a park along the West Lake.
He joined immediately and now is a backbone of the kung fu club.
Zheng Ying, founder and teacher of the group recalls: "One day I was teaching as usual and Zhang suddenly arrived and imitated him. He was so good that I figured him for a professional at first sight."
Zhang was overjoyed to find like-minded people with whom to study, practice and share skills and experience. He was inspired.
"Since the people were mostly college students and foreigners, I was driven to improve my cultural knowledge. Though my own education was not strong, I am a strong and willing learner."
Two years ago, Zhang resigned as a security guard and became a professional kung fu teacher in several kindergartens and schools. In his spare time he volunteers for the Zhejiang Province Love Foundation, teaching martial arts to the elderly.
"I accepted helping hands when I was poor, so I am obliged to help others with my own small skills," Zhang says.
"Helping others makes me so happy."
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