FORT WORTH, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- A love of traditional Chinese martial arts has made a modern American family happy — if martial arts had not served as matchmakers, David Southedo and his wife Angela would not have met, would not have fallen in love, married, and given birth to two young boys with long hair and obsessed with kung fu.
Love that began in martial arts.
This family of martial arts fans lives in Fort Worth, North Texas, which just hosted the World Wushu Championships in November. David, 38, is an aircraft technician, and her husband, Angela, a year old, is an aerial silk lifting skills instructor.
David told reporters that he followed his brother to learn martial arts before he was 12 years old. He first practiced taekwondo, and soon changed to sanda, and practiced for ** years in a row. After graduating from high school, he spent most of the year at the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, where he taught English at a nearby elementary school in addition to martial arts.
That was before the Beijing Olympics. David recalls that he asked him to "really train" him the way he treated his Chinese apprentices. The unique relationship between Chinese martial arts master and apprentice makes him reminisce to this day: getting along with each other day and night, strict requirements for apprentices, apprentices at the table, etc., and so on.
Shortly after returning to the United States, David moved to Hawaii. He practiced martial arts while working, and his skills spread among friends and acquaintances. Angela, who also likes kung fu, hears from a friend about David and hopes to get to know him.
One day in 2010, martial arts set a red thread for the young couple. Angela recalls: "I found out that he was still living and practicing kung fu in China not long ago and was interested to learn more about his experience because it was something I always wanted to do. ”
In 2014, the couple both came to China to learn Shaolin Kung Fu at the Kunyu Mountain Martial Arts School in Yantai, Shandong Province. They go to ordinary people's homes to eat and visit scenic spots. "It was a great experience. Angela recalled.
Martial arts are integrated into life.
David and his wife often practice Xi with the Internet at home, and their two children have also become little martial arts fans. Every weekend, the family will drive for more than an hour to a kung fu school on the outskirts of Dallas to learn martial arts from the Chinese.
David Southedo (bottom left) and his wife Angela (right) and their children Skye and River practice martial arts on the lawn in their backyard at home in Fort Worth, Texas, in south-central U.S. on Nov. 8. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Tian Dan).
David loves the power and confrontation of Sanda;Angela, on the other hand, loves the smooth elegance of Tai Chi and has recently become fascinated by Changquan. Although they have their own preferences, the couple agree that Xi martial arts is not only "skill", but also "god".
In Angela's view, Xi martial arts can not only strengthen the body, but also a kind of "mindfulness practice Xi". "To get extraordinary martial arts, I think you have to be very strong mentally and have a ...... of true faithI also want to develop this self-discipline and stamina, which is very helpful in life. ”
David believes that learning martial arts requires both internal and external training, and what is learned is not only the external physical side, but also the inner spiritual side. "You have to have both to be balanced, and if you don't understand the meaning behind the movements, they're all empty. ”
David said that martial arts helped him a lot. He hopes that more kung fu schools will be opened in the United States to make martial arts more popular, because most Americans know only about martial arts in Hollywood movies, "they know too little."
And then to China.
Angela's trip to China in 2014 left her with fond memories. She said that in China's thousands of years of history and culture, "there is so much to explore and Xi."
In their home, large ink landscapes and tiger roaring scrolls hang on the walls of the living roomOn the dining table are Chinese character cubes, as well as a box of Chinese map puzzles and several children's Chinese textbooks – the two teach the children Chinese themselves.
David Southedo (second from left) and his wife Angela (first from right) and their children Skye and River practice martial arts on the lawn in the backyard of their home in Fort Worth, Texas, in the south-central United States. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Tian Dan).
The couple plans to take their children to China with them when they are older. "We want our children to be able to learn Xi Mandarin ......Practice Kung Fu together as a family. Angela longed.
David said that it is hoped that through martial arts training, children will not only learn self-restraint, but also have the values of thoughtfulness, friendliness and helpfulness. "To be a valuable member of the community is to work hard and be self-disciplined. ”
Meeting friends with martial arts – this is also the Chinese culture we share. David said. "When you practice martial arts, you are never alone. You always practice Xi with other people and make friends in the process of practicing martial arts. (Reporter: Xu Jianmei;Reporter: Zhou Yilan, Tian Dan;Editors: Xu Xiaolei, Lu Yu, Liang Shanggang).