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Most people associate martial arts with action-packed scenes from films, violent yet elegant fights and agile combat. Hongkonger Lau Chi-lung is showing the world a different side of martial arts.
As a professional wushu athlete, 25-year-old Lau is making a name for himself globally. He recently won two gold medals and one silver medal at the World Wushu Championship. It was held from August 31 to September 7, in Brasília, Brazil.
Wushu is far different from the martial arts seen in Bruce Lee films. Wushu can be demonstrated through forms, called taolu. It is also practised as a full-contact combat sport known as sanda.
Lau practices taolu. This means he does not fight another opponent. Instead, he performs a routine of movements and forms to score points with a judging panel. He may perform barehanded, nanquan, or with a short weapon, nandao. Performing with a long weapon is called nangun.
Lau said that wushu has taught him many important life skills: “How do you face your coach, address your self-esteem? … Everyone has to perform and [receive] judgment and scoring or ranking. In the process, it’s very fun to learn how to do it better, plan your movements.”
Rising in the ranks
Lau was introduced to martial arts through television and films. He began taking wushu classes around the age of 10.
Lau had never considered taking up other types of martial arts. He enjoys the “emotion” of the performative sport.
“I think it was very attractive for me,” he said, describing a time when he saw an athlete “doing jumping skills, and then … lunge and scream”.
“I think the emotion and the feelings [made me think] … ‘Wow, I really like it.’”
He made the Hong Kong team at age 11. At this point, he was practising for around two and a half hours each day.
Lau currently attends Baptist University through its full-time athlete programme. The programme allows students to graduate in eight years while pursuing their sport.
Full-time athletes at Baptist University train about 25 hours per week in addition to taking classes, so Lau is constantly bouncing between his lessons and practice.
Lau admitted that he found it tough to balance school and wushu.
“We don’t have much time to do homework,” he said. He explained that he tried to find small bits of time to revise for exams and complete his assignments.
Lau’s hard work has paid off in recent years. He competed in the World Wushu Championships for the first time in 2019 in Shanghai, where he won a silver medal. He returned to the championships in 2023 in the US, taking home a gold and a bronze medal.
This year was his third and most successful appearance, as he won two golds and a silver. His medals came as a “surprise” to him because he was sick with a fever during the competition. He credited his success to being prepared.
Beyond the medals
Lau said that wushu does not receive enough coverage or attention. For example, it is not included in the Olympics.
“We try to promote it, [but] not many parents will get interested in this kind of sport,” he said.
One encouraging sign for wushu’s future is its popularity in schools. Lau is a member of the Hong Kong Wushu Union. He said principals regularly invite the group to perform on their campuses.
“Many local secondary schools and primary schools are supportive,” he said.
