Martial arts coach Wu Bin Photo: Li Hao/GT

As Chinese kung fu monk Yi Long is set to fight again against Thai boxing champion Buakaw Banchamek in June, kung fu has once again risen to the forefront of public attention.

For many people outside China, the world of kung fu, or Chinese martial arts, is filled with mystery. While some think everyone in China knows at least a bit of kung fu, the art of kung fu is actually just as mysterious to most people living in the country.

Like the rest of the world, movies, TV dramas and novels are the major channels through which modern Chinese come to understand this ancient art, yet most get "fooled" by the exaggerated depictions in these works. In an interview with the Global Times, Wu Bin, martial arts coach for kung fu film stars Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Wu Jing, and general martial arts instructor for Wang Kar-wai's The Grandmaster (2013), tries to draw a brief picture of this amazing skill and its place in modern times. 

In the real world

"The differences are significant," Wu said, when discussing how to distinguish between real world kung fu and that portrayed for entertainment. He explained that though while traditional kung fu does make use of certain terms such as "feiyan zoubi," which refers to a person who can fly from rooftop to rooftop and walk on walls, it actually only means that a person has very good physical dexterity, "very much like some of the skills seen in gymnastics."

Cultivating one's "nei gong," or internal kung fu, is something often heard of in martial arts movies and TV dramas. This fits with the idea that besides being physically tough, one needs to rely on inner strength in order to truly be strong. According to Wu, while the idea of internal and external styles does exist,  the internal practice is, in fact, mainly about one's breath control.

"[Developing good] breath control is indeed beneficial," Wu told the Global Times, taking the example of free-style combat. "You will be more stabile and not lose your footing that easy. Also your movements will be swifter. However, it is not an easy technique to master," Wu said, adding that scenes where old kung fu master's pass on their inner kung fu to others in novels and on TV is completely unrealistic.  

Finding a path

In a time when using your mind is looked upon more favorably than physical labor, the number of people who are willing to dive into the world of martial arts seems to be on the decline compared to the past.

Yet, Wu pointed out that there has actually been an uptick in recent years. "But most of these have come from the countryside rather than cities, and they have been practicing from childhood."

He explained that compared with being a farmer and living off the land, learning martial arts can lead to more job opportunities. "Many enroll in the army, become security guards, policemen or trainers," Wu said.

Fame is one factor behind the attraction that martial arts possesses. Though the number of martial arts students who finally became famous through movies and TV are few and far between, names like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li still hold an alluring glamour for many young people. Having been a coach for several kung fu stars, Wu's name has also become a brand name in and of itself.

While some may worry that becoming a star by learning martial arts is beyond the reach of most people, Wu still has a positive outlook on it all.

"You can't ignore the positive impact movies and TV have had on Chinese martial arts," he argued. "Without them, many people would not have become interested in learning martial arts."

"Soccer is the same way," Wu added.

Yet soccer as a sport is much better off than traditional martial arts in China.

In order to continue to grow, many of Wu's more outstanding students, who were trained in the 1970s along with Jet Li, have now moved to the US in moves which in Wu's words were "forced by life."

"The wages at domestic martial arts club are low, about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan ($480-$640) a month. Several [students of mine] are in Las Vegas, where they earn monthly salaries of $4,000 to $5,000, and they may even own their own schools," Wu told the Global Times, adding that students that perform exceptionally well may be selected by the government to be kept at home and compete.

An accidental journey

Former vice chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association, the first head coach of Beijing's martial arts team, Wu has earned numerous titles, and photos and certificates collected over the decades are plastered everywhere in his apartment's  sitting room.

Although regarded as one of the nation's top martial arts authorities, Wu still prefers to be called "coach" rather than "master." This may be due to the fact that he was trained in public schools and worked as a coach for years, while being a disciple of a private martial arts school was the traditional way martial arts was passed down from generation to generation of the centuries.

"In martial arts it is acceptable to address someone as a 'predecessor,' but to become a true master is not that easy," Wu said. 

Born in 1937 in Southeast China's Zhejiang Province and raised in Shanghai, he encountered martial arts quite by accident after coming to Beijing for college.

"I was an athletic enthusiast and had been captain for my school's football team," the 78-year-old recalled.

Also good at wrestling and swimming, Wu said he put more energy into weight lifting because at that time the sport was China's strongest at various international competitions, and as a teenager he was inspired by athletes who won gold medals for the motherland.

"I originally majored in weight lifting," Wu said when talking about how he got into Beijing Sports School, which is now known as Beijing Sports University. He later got involved in martial arts purely for the purpose of trying to expand his job opportunities.

Calling his years in college the start on his path on to a martial arts career, Wu said he learned a lot from the coaches at the then Beijing Martial Arts School for beginners.

"There were four coaches who were all trained by their families," Wu told the Global Times. 

Although he retired years ago, Wu still works as an instructor for several martial arts clubs in Beijing during his spare time, where he can pass down his knowledge to numerous young people who have fallen in love with this ancient art.