Kung fu master lifts spirits online

Lu Xiaohong, an adept martial artist in the San Francisco Bay Area, never expected her knowledge of Chinese kung fu could play such an important role in cheering up people during a pandemic.

Offering 60 minutes of free martial arts lessons through Zoom every Wednesday since early April, the 40-year-old Lu aims to empower her multinational students —more than 3,000 so far — by not only helping them improve their physiques but instilling the wisdom of kung fu, which she has been practicing for more than 30 years.

One of the tenets Lu has taught her students is, "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."

In the COVID-19 pandemic, she told them, "a strong will plus optimism will eventually overpower panic, loss and frustrations. We will win."

In mid-March, California announced a "stay-at-home" policy to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which led to the temporary closure of the local martial arts studio where Lu teaches.

"I told my students at our last in-person gathering that we have to pause for a while," she said. "We thought this shutdown was not going to be long."

With no timetable for a reopening in California, many students sought advice from Lu on how to stay upbeat and fit.

"I knew it was the time to give back to the community," Lu said. "The first idea coming into my mind was to teach martial arts online."

After she shared the Zoom link through several social media platforms, "I was thrilled to see how quickly the slots were filled up." Lu said. "I felt there is a need for an outlet, a channel that everyone could utilize to alleviate anxiety and resume strength."

A repeat national martial arts champion in China in the categories of long fist and staff since 2001, Lu moved to the United States two years ago, hoping her expertise could help bolster cross-cultural, people-to-people exchanges.

Settling down in Silicon Valley in 2018, she accepted an offer to work as a leading coach at a local martial arts studio. Soon after, kung fu lovers in the Bay Area created  word-of-mouth buzz about "a new female master from China" who knows how to teach.

"My students made a mix of races, cultures and backgrounds," said Lu. "You heard them (students) talking with distinctive accents — Latino, Indian, Chinese, African American, Korean and Japanese — very diverse group."

Lu considers each student a unique individual who will benefit from the balanced approach and discipline of martial arts — the external training of hands, eyes, posture and stance, as well as the internal training of the spirit, the mind and inner peace.

Skanda, 7, has been Lu's student for two years. A shy boy at first, he tried to avoid Lu's gaze and couldn't perform the basic movements. To ignite his enthusiasm, Lu "played video clips starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and told students anecdotes associated with the two iconic masters".

"Of course, I emphasize why self-confidence and self-challenging could transform a person," Lu said.

It worked. Skanda gradually opened up after four to five classes — he kicks, punches, sweeps and jumps. He talks loudly and clearly.

"One day, he told me that he wanted to be a kung fu master," Lu said. Lu wouldn't have embarked on her long, arduous martial arts journey without her father's resolve. Born in a small town in Shandong province, East China, Lu was vulnerable and often sick as a child. To improve her health, her father sent her to a martial arts center when she turned 6.

"The daily routine was like I needed to get up at 5:30, finish two hours of morning drills before I could have breakfast," she said. "Day in, day out, it's not uncommon that I had bruises, injuries, blisters often."

There were many times she wanted to quit. "It was too much for a kid," she said.

However, her father would borrow philosophy from martial arts to inspire Lu to continue. "For example, 'the last leg of a journey marks the halfway point', so 'to persevere means victory'."

In 2001, Lu won the national championship in female staff. A staff is a long, wooden, pole-like martial arts weapon. Four years later, she clinched another national title in long fist.