Fudan University student Martin Brich is from Switzerland, a nation known for its numbered bank accounts and precision timepieces. A former professional ice hockey player, Brich left the pads and sticks behind and headed to China four years ago to become a full-time student - trading pucks for "pinyin."

Majoring in Chinese, Brich is a confirmed Sinophile.

"I'm happy with my decision to retire from ice hockey," says the 33-year-old, with a soft accent. "I have been fascinated by Asian culture since my childhood and getting more and more into it."

But Brich hasn't forsaken sports altogether. He has taken up tai chi, a traditional Chinese exercise regime which incorporates meditation.

"I don't miss ice hockey at all. That period in my life is over. My current goal is to practice tai chi everyday for the rest of my life," says Brich. "I really love it. You work with yourself and achieve inner balance."

Ice hockey is known for helping one lose teeth, not gain awareness, so this was indeed a major change.

Brich's classmate and companion, Anup Grewal, a Canadian, says her boyfriend's love of tai chi is consistent with his personal philosophy. "He relates to the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosophers. He is a modest and quiet man, which matches the philosophy of tai chi," she says.

Is it any wonder he left the fast-paced and bruising game behind?

Brich is interested in many aspects of Chinese culture, including the language, philosophy, medicine and martial arts. "Chinese culture is so rich and fulfilling," he notes.

Brich talks little about his past. Dressed casually in a T-shirt and a beige coat, one would never suspect that he was a two-time member of the Swiss National Team.

Like many of his fellow countrymen, Brich was barely out of diapers when he started playing hockey. He turned professional at 16.

In 1999, he decided to retire from the sport to fully devote himself to learning Chinese.

"Though my sports career brought me fame and a comfortable life, it was my job, primary for making money. I never regret the decision. Actually, I think I should have quit earlier," he says.

Three years before he officially retired, Brich had already started studying Chinese at the University of Zurich.

"It was hard to play hockey and study Chinese simultaneously," he says. "Competing in games and training were quite demanding and afforded little leisure time, let alone time to study. Gradually, my interest in study outweighed my motivation to play ice hockey. So finally I decided to become a full-time student."

As one of the top students in his class at Fudan, Brich is able to speak Chinese, English, French, German, Czech and Slovak.

His dedication to study impressed Grewal from the start. "Like most professional athletes, he's very motivated," she says. "The first year at Fudan, whenever I met him, he was studying and reading books. Other students and I would procrastinate but he never did. He inspired me to study harder."

Brich enjoys campus life, and the fact that few of his fellow students know he's a former pro athlete.

"Though many people in Switzerland know me, I wasn't very famous," he concedes. "On campus, I'm just like everyone else, and I like that."

Prior to settling in Shanghai, Brich traveled to Beijing in 1998. He disliked the capital city, however, describing it as "gray." The next year, he traveled to Shanghai and immediately fell for the city. "Shanghai was so modern," he says. "I thought, 'Now this is a city I could live in.'"

In the past four years, Brich has witnessed the rapid development of the city. "Shanghai is changing everyday," Brich notes. "And that's good. Everything here is getting better and better. The city itself is becoming nicer and cleaner."

Nevertheless, Brich is not blind to the city's blemishes.

"Sometimes things change too fast. Some people may lose their identity for the fast-changing environment," he points out.

Grewal says Brich is smitten with Shanghai. "We both love the city and the life here," she says. "But he wants Shanghai to be more beautiful with more parks and more emphasis placed on protecting historic landmarks and objects."

Brich notes that as China's "most-developed city," Shanghai has a responsibility to preserve its past.

"China is an ancient land, but it's shameful that not many old things are left in Shanghai," he says. "Nearly all buildings here are new and modern. Perhaps that's necessary for development, but it's a great loss too. Old things remind people of the past. Seeing them is more powerful than reading about them in books. Young generations will know how their father's and grandfather's generations lived. So they can value their current life. Otherwise, they will never know the past."

(eastday.com May 12, 2003)