Upon first sight of 63-year-old Fu Tianbao, people could not help connecting him with legendary martial arts masters, wearing a long graceful white beard, walking fast and vigorously, and looking at others with a pair of penetrating eyes.

After hiding his identity for more than 10 years in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Fu appeared again before the public, carrying his special apparatus, mantis sword and dragon-headed stick, which had been lost in martial arts circle for years. The body of the stick is actually rope with a dragon head carved out of wood. He could give the rope the power of a stick.

Though he was getting on in years, his <i>kung fu</i> skills never rusted. In the First World Traditional Wushu Festival, held between October 16-20 in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan Province, Fu astounded the judges and audience with his superb skills in boxing and apparatus and won two gold medals.

Fu was a descendent of a wushu family. One of the family's ancestors, Fu Shan, was once a well-known martial arts master and doctor in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Born in the flames of the War of Resistance against Japan (1937-45) in North China's Shanxi Province, Fu accompanied his family to move into the neighboring Shaanxi Province to dodge the brutal Japanese invaders.

At the age of 7, Fu started to practice wushu. Instructed by his father first, Fu later visited 16 famous martial arts masters and became a student to each. He has learned thousands of fighting skills.

Fu believes that different factions of martial arts can actually be mixed together with each other though their practicing style or emphasis may be different.

"I encourage my students to learn other schools of martial arts," said Fu.

In his eyes, the martial arts practitioners who care much about the fraction difference do not command the essence of wushu.

So far, Fu has taught more than 3,000 students, most of whom were students of Northwest University in Xi'an. Fu has been the general coach of martial arts class there for seven years. However, Fu does not admit more than 50 formal students.

Today, practicing martial arts has become a way of body building or simply a hobby. The practitioners generally can not make a professional living from it. Master Fu was no exception.

After he graduated from high school, Fu became an apprentice in a factory. Gradually, he grew into a master and later vice-manager of the factory.

"In those years, family chores were always none of his business. He often came home late at night. When I asked him for the reason, he always told me that someone had found him a competitor for a martial arts competition," said Fu's wife Liu Shuzhen, 61.

During these exchanges, Fu made a lot of friends. Once a factory in Ningbo of East China's Zhejiang Province bid for the design of a new type of blower and Fu's factory wanted to get the design.

Despite repeated tries, Fu, in charge of technical innovation at that time, still failed to get the know-how.

However, it so happened that the engineer who designed the machine was also a martial arts lover. After a one-on-one competition, the engineer bowed to Fu's superiority in martial arts and privately gave Fu the design drawing.

In the 1990s, Fu retired. In the following 10 years, he lived like a hermit and took care of his father. It was not until 2002 when his father died that Fu decided to return to the martial arts circle.

He has two sons and one daughter. During their childhood, they all followed their father into <i>kung fu</i>, practicing early in the morning or late at night.

His elder son once won a championship on his first attempt at a martial arts contest in Shaanxi Province. However, to support his own family, he did not choose to be a boxer but went to work for a real estate company.

"My children are now all grown up and I can not influence their choices," said Fu.

If it was not for his martial arts background, Fu looks no different from other retired man.

Every morning, he sends his two grandsons to school and changed his schedule of practice from morning to noon.

Very often, Fu would spare the time to accompany his wife to go to the hospital. Only on the weekends could he make time to call a small gathering with his fellow apprentices to exchange skills in the park.

"Practicing <i>kung fu</i> is part of his life. He has no other hobbies," said his wife.

When Fu was taking part in the wushu festival in Zhengzhou, a Taoist from Wudang Mountain of Central China's Hubei Province suggested he go abroad with him to spread traditional Chinese martial arts.

"Definitely I will go! Wushu is a part of Chinese culture. It is my honor to contribute to its popularization in the world," replied Fu.

(China Daily December 1, 2004)