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Chinese Martial Arts at NationaliTea

Students practicing martial arts with kung fu instructor, Yazhou Song
Students practicing martial arts with kung fu instructor, Yazhou Song

By Megan Zimmerer

On Monday, April 4 Miami University’s Confucius Institute and Global Initiatives hosted a NationaliTea event on Chinese martial arts in the MacMillan Great Room.

Yazhou Song, a young Kung Fu instructor at CIMU, delivered a presentation to a group of people, complete with demonstrations and a high level of audience participation. During his presentation, Yazhou described the various types of martial arts and their historical significance, as well as the function and role of martial arts in promoting physical fitness, self-defense skills, moral culture and education, enrichment of cultural life, and enhancement of friendship. The presentation was enriched with Yazhou’s high-energy demonstrations of different martial arts styles.

In the final part of his presentation, the audience members were invited to participate in a group Kung Fu lesson. Most of the audience eagerly joined the variety of moves and stances. Yazhou’s enthusiastic and encouraging instructive style was met with smiles and energetic participation. Many students said that it was quite a workout.

After the presentation and group activity, a female student said of NationaliTea, “I was amazed by the charm and passion of Chinese martial arts. It was so much fun to listen to someone who speaks so passionately about a subject.” Students in close proximity smiled and nodded in agreement. A male graduate student, who frequently attends NationaliTea events, said, “I got tired, but it was fun. I liked the powerful movements! My favorite move was stamp fist.” He approached the instructor afterward to express his enthusiasm and practice the stamp fist move.

CI strove to provide an opportunity for exposure to Chinese martial arts - a fascinating and rich historical aspect of Chinese culture. The instructor’s engaging presentation and activities, combined with the enthusiasm and participation of Miami students and staff, made this event a tremendous success.