Wushu

Wushu is a popular term that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. Wushu literally means " martial art". It is formed from the two words "wu" which means martial or military and "shu" which means discipline, skill or method. Wushu has also become the name for a modern sport involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

I have been in wushu since primary one. It was quite tough and boring initially as we only learnt the basic stances and exercises over and over again. Examples of these basic training may include stretching, stance work, rudimentary conditioning, meditation, basic kicking and punching techniques, and jumping.

After two years, we began to learn competition routines. It then became more interesting. In fact, I almost gave up during the first two years if not for my teachers,coaches and parents. They never cease to support me. Each time I felt like giving up, they gave me some encouraging words to spur me on.

I begin to understand that without strong and flexible muscles and proper body mechanics, many movements of Chinese martial arts are simply impossible to perform correctly.

Finally, in primary four, I earned my place in the school team, taking part in the National Inter Primary Schools Wushu Competition. In the first year, I was nervous and did not perform well but it was a good learning opportunity. In the second and third year, my efforts finally paid off and I earned a silver and bronze medal respectively.

Primary Four was the year when I started learning "weapons". I am beginning to enjoy wushu now as it is no longer as boring as before. We get to learn new routines and get introduced to new weapons as we become more senior.

Since last year, I have learnt the "nanquan international routine", "nandao international routine" as well as "nangun international routine". These are the hand and weapon routines related to "southern boxing". I will also be competing in this year's competition and it will be my debut in the National Inter Secondary School Competition.It will be tough as I will be competing against the older boys but I will persevere to the end......

The Lady ,or the Tiger?

Everyone held their breathes, anxious to find out the answer. Within seconds, the answer was revealed. A fierce tiger emerged from inside the door and pounced onto the man in the arena. Fiercely and quickly, the tiger tore the man into pieces. Blood splashed all over the floor. This was the punishment for the young man's guilt and he could not do anything to change his fate.

The doleful iron bells clanged and great wails went up from the hired mourners on the outer rim of the arena. The audience bowed their heads and with downcast hearts, they headed back to their homes. Along the way back to their homes, everyone mourned silently that the young man did not deserve this kind of treatment.

Despite the sadness of the people, the king was happy about the treatment the young man received. The princess on the other hand, displayed no feelings. She had a mix of emotions. Firstly, she was sad because she just lost her beloved one. But do you remember what caused the young and innocent man to get eaten by the tiger? Yes, it was the princess. The princess took after her father and she was partly barbaric. That was the reason why the princess gave the young man the wrong information-the door with the tiger instead of the door with the girl.. To her, if she could not get the man she wanted, she would rather kill him than to let another woman have him.

Most probably, the barbaric princess did not regret giving her beloved one the wrong information. Even if she had kept him alive, the man would belong to another woman and she would still not be happy. Unless the man was hers, she was unwilling to make any sacrifices.