Martial arts is undeniably one of Macao's most promising sports, with the most award-winning potential. In several previous Asian Games, Macao achieved satisfactory results in martial arts and won its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in this category. But the breakthrough was followed by a reform that went on inside the Wushu General Association of Macau, during which the coach Zeng Tie Ming retired, while Jia Rui, Chu Chi Wai and other veterans made their retreats from the world of martial arts. Fortunately these predecessors had laid a solid foundation for the new blood to take over smoothly. Huang Junhua and So Cho Man, who were respectively awarded at “World Wushu Championships” and “Asian Junior Wushu Championships”, have proved with their endeavor and medals that they are ready to take the helm and carry on the glory of their martial arts team.
Huang Sees Bruce Lee As Idol
With his origin from Guangxi province, Huang Junhua had been obsessed with martial arts since he was a child. He idolized the martial arts star Bruce Lee and was influenced by martial arts films and novels. “As a child, I often made random moves and somersaults at home. My family knew I was interested so they found a place for me to learn martial arts.” However, Huang Junhua's first teacher was not a “professional”. “I learnt from a diving coach at a school in a town. He taught himself with books before teaching us. After that, I attended some amateur competitions in a city where I was spotted and enlisted in the provincial team to join their collective training. As I recall, it wasn't until I was nine when I officially started my systematic training,” he said smilingly.
Quitting Because of Severe Injury
Huang's martial arts path is not an easy one. Due to a serious injury he lost sight of his future. “I got injured when I was training a difficult movement. I had to rest for nearly a year because of my broken left hip. There was a fierce competition going on in the team. The provincial team leader told me quite frankly that I wasn't fit for training anymore, which was when I realized how much I like martial arts.”
Turn to Nanquan for A Way Out
Huang Junhua began his quest for a way out, refusing to disengage from martial arts. He left behind his specialties of spear, sword and Changquan for Nanquan that focuses on upper-body movements. “I felt more motivated however at the lowest point of my life. When I was mostly depressed and frustrated, I started to train my hands and develop my abdominal and arm muscles alternatively. Around a year later, I won a championship in Nanquan finally in a competition joined by our provincial team.”
Coach Zeng's Trust and Recognition
Fortune favours those who help themselves and shows the persistent their way ahead. Huang Junhua met the coach Zeng Tie Ming, a fellow townsman, by chance. “He saw me in a drill and thought I did well, so he suggested taking me to Macao.” Yet Huang, who was accustomed to close-door training, said he had some difficulty adapting to
Macao's amateur training system. “I was truly not used to it, but I had never thought about muddling along because my coach trusted me so much and gave chances to me, so I was hoping I could do better, pushing myself, as I didn't want to failed his recognition and trust in me. I didn't want to let him down.”
Belief that Chances Will Come
Many winners of international martial arts competitions are young athletes, claiming victory in the “World Wushu Championships” before the age of 20. This was also Huang Junhua's dream, except that it did not come true until years later, after he had undergone hard times one after another. “I competed on behalf of Macao for the first time in 2011, when I joined the “World Wushu Championships” held in Turkey. But I was still inexperienced and unstable at the time, so I didn't get any medals. I was a bit disappointed.” After a long wait, Huang was still unable to obtain any satisfactory results, competing in the championships as a member of Macao's delegate team in the following two to three years. He thought of quitting. “I had doubted if I was still able to keep on doing it. Fortunately Coach Zhen pulled me back and kept encouraging me. What I remember most of what he told me was “Stop thinking so much! Just do your job. Your chance will come! ”
At 25, World Champion Dream Finally Comes True
Bearing in mind his coach's words, Huang Junhua took one step at a time to scale the peak of the martial arts world. He earned co-third place in the Asian Wushu Championships in 2012, a silver medal in the World Wushu Championships and two bronze medals in the East Asian Games in 2013 and a silver medal in men's all-round in the Asian Martial Arts Games in 2014. Last year in the World Wushu Champions, his dream finally came true. “I wasn't as excited as I had thought the moment I became the world champion. Perhaps as I grow up, I have not wanted moments of glory anymore. Rather I hope to maintain my stability while seeking breakthroughs in the ways of presentation so the judges will always see novelty in and expect something from Huang Junhua's martial arts. My next goal is to compete in the Asian Martial Arts Games again,” said Huang, having achieved a late success at the age of 25.
The training ground is home to Huang living alone in Macao. “I feel completely at home here. I am the second oldest after Chu Chi Wai in the training squad, but the other members don't see me as a big brother, possibly because I often joke with them. We are on good terms. If I come across problems in life, I will share with them, but I seldom talk to my family in my hometown which is far away from here also because I don't want them to worry about me.”
The Big Brother with A Bad Memory
Huang, who is quite a powerful performer of Nanquan in the competition venue, can be quite a child being off the field. “I think I am optimistic, as I rarely look at the dark side. If I have a problem that I can't solve, I will simply stop thinking and even forget about it. Ha-ha! To be honest, I have a really bad memory and my teammates know about it, so they never let me in charge of anything important.”
So Cho Man's Presence as A Rising Star
When Huang Junhua is taking over the men's team, the 20-year-old So Cho Man has been promoted to be a leader of the women's team. Specialized in Changquan, broadsword and stick, she reaped a bronze medal in the East Asian Games in Tianjin in 2013 and one gold and three silvers in the Asian Junior Wushu Championships held in Inner Mongolia, winning recognition from the SAR Government and different sectors of the society. She was awarded Medal of Merit-Sport early this year. “Everything happens so quickly, but I have been training hard and ready to get onto a bigger and greater stage, ” said So.
Training Martial Arts with Big Brother Wanting to Lose Weight
So Cho Man has been active like a boy since she was a child. Running through her veins is the blood of her mother who had attended the East Asian Games as a martial arts athlete of Macao's delegate team, but it was not until So was nine years old did she found that she had inherited the “martial arts gene”. “I trained martial arts to accompany my big brother who wanted to lose weight, though I was reluctant to do so,” said she. “Master Zhu (Fenfa) should be my first coach. I joined in with my brother without any serious intention initially. But I was particularly interested in broadsword and stick, thinking they suit the rude side of me.”
Wish to Join Competitions outside Macao
Later on, So Chu Man enrolled herself in a martial arts school with her brother where they received systematic basic training. “The daily training was exhausting, but I was envious every time I saw the senior members went out for competition. After that, I found my goal, became more motivated and had healthy competitions with my teammates, which was directly pushing me to make progress.”
Attempt to Give up after Loss of Faith
Having a fancy for martial arts is one thing, but training it is another, because martial art drill is tough after all. So Chu Man said she had also had an experience when she did not want to practice anymore. “The training for children serves to help them to build a sound foundation. At that time, my training volume was even larger and since I didn't do my moves well, I often got scolded by my coach. I had also lost my faith and felt a bit lost during the process. Fortunately my mother urged me to hang on. Together, we observed the movements of some world-class martial arts athletes in some videos online and then I could learn and make improvement myself.”
Unexpected Medal of Merit
Young as she is, So was honored the Medal of Merit-Sports this year, although she has never seen it coming. “I was unbelievably happy. My first reaction was shock, but looking back at what I had achieved this past year, I think I did make substantial progress, because I had truly put in lots of efforts and took my training seriously all along. My coaches Zeng Tie Ming and Iao Chon In also helped me with their instructions. So I was finally able to give a great show in the Asian Junior Wushu Championships.”
