A lucky start.    Bowing three times at the front door to show respect to any deities being worshipped in the house, the lions noisily made their way through the house as part of the cleansing process, warding off bad luck and bringing in good luck. An auspicious offering of seven oranges, representing the seven stars that accompany the moon, and a pineapple -'wong' (yellow), 'lai' (fruit) - homonymous with 'prosperity' and 'come' were added to the ceremony.

On top of the lion dance and wonderful lunch, we indeed received extra 'riches' as Leni's brother-in-law, Dato' Kee Yong Wee, MCG member and great lover of Chinese culture, graciously agreed to share with us his passion for wushu. It proved a challenging subject to define - and confine.

What is Wushu?    Dato' Kee pointed out that just as Chinese culture goes back thousands of years, so does wushu. It was developed and shaped through the constant struggle of man against nature, as well as against his enemies on ancient battlefields. Later, the skills, often honed in secret, were for the protection of one's family and self. It has rich content, a wide variety of styles and a strong relationship with traditional oriental culture. Though literally translated as Wu=martial and Shu=art, wushu presently incorporates popular recreational arts such as lion, dragon, unicorn and fish dances; acrobatics; drum beating; as well as qigong, taichi and kung fu.

Creative Art Forms   First developed during the Warring States Period, wushu moved from the military to the civil arena and organizations mushroomed. It also became entertainment in imperial courts. In classical Chinese literature, including classical poems, the cream of ancient Chinese culture, there are many narratives about wushu masters and their deeds.

Traditional Chinese operas have used many wushu styles and routines in their performances and selected artistes are specially trained for fighting scenes. Classical Chinese music stresses inner thought and feeling through melody and the high-spirited and positive mindset of wushu has inspired Chinese composers and musicians, especially of the pipa (four-stringed lute).

Wushu also permeates dancing, painting, and Taoist philosophy. Films and TV play an active role in entertaining people and disseminating wushu arts. Outside China, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and films such as The Matrix series, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the latest Hero have highlighted wushu.

Competitive Sport - Wushu Taolu    Wushu Taolu and Sanshou are the two major disciplines of wushu as a competitive sport. Wushu Taolu has been internationally standardized for both men and women encompassing ten forms:

1)Changquan (long-range boxing); 2)Nanquan (southern-style boxing); 3)Taijiquan(breathing with movement); 4)Dao Shu (broadsword routine); 5)Nandao (southern-style broadsword routine); 6)Qiang Shu (spear play); 7)Jian Shu (sword play); 8)Taiji Jian (taiji and sword); 9)Gunshu (cudgel/rod routine); 10)Nangun (southern-style cudgel/rod routine)

The essence of competitive wushu is the combination of various attacking and defensive movements. The athlete must perform approximately 60 movements within one minute and 20 seconds. We were lucky to have Ho Ro Bin, gold medallist at both the Asian, and SEA Games, and Olympian of the Year 2002, demonstrate Nanquan. The girls, Loo Sim Fang from Kedah, and Thian Ai Ling from Sarawak who train full-time at Bukit Jalil stadium and are hopefuls for the Asian Games 2006, displayed impressive sword routines.

Dato' Kee stressed that before one can begin to master the branches, it is essential to learn the basics. The practice of wushu strengthens the bones, muscles, the internal organs - and intelligence. The movement of the human body is only the external display of wushu. Coordination and cooperation are called for with each movement as wushu stresses that the mind directs the circulation of chi (energy) through the body, galvanizing the external strength, an important purpose of wushu exercises.

Malaysian Story    Dato' Kee has dedicated more than 30 years in promoting and developing wushu as an art and a sport. In the late 70's wushu had a 'shady' reputation and Dato' Kee was instrumental in uniting the many disparate groups, founding, in 1978, the Wushu Federation of Malaysia (WFM) of which he is currently president. Internationally recognised, the WFM with affiliates in 12 of the Malaysian states, is also affiliated with the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (of which he is honorary treasurer).

Keenly contested in world championships and a medal-tally sport in both the SEA and the Asian Games, the consistent success of Malaysian competitors has led to a paradigm shift by the government. The last three years has seen financial support totalling RM500,000 annually. This covers local and overseas tours and tournaments and the promotion of wushu in schools has been encouraged with the WFM training coaches. The government even requested a team of eight boys and eight girls to undergo full-time training at Bukit Jalil stadium. The students attend school and on finishing Form 6, are guaranteed university places. Most amazing of all was the quick and painless granting of land to develop a wushu centre - with a 99-year lease!

Thanks to tireless campaigning, The Lion and Dragon Dance Federation of Malaysia was finally registered by the government - and guess who is president? It was interesting to learn that the version of lion dance involving jumping from stilt to stilt about eight feet off the ground was actually created in Malaysia in the early 80's. Malaysia has been the stilt world champion for the last eight years.

Wushu and the 2008 Beijing Olympics    Wushu is being intensely lobbied for induction into the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will determine wushu's fate in July 2003. If officially accepted, it will be a cultural exchange between east and west, enriching the Olympics, enhancing the Olympic spirit, widening its reach to Asia Pacific so let's hope the bid will be successful.