Woman teaches kungfu for free in C China

Liu Yi, a 21-year-old senior at Wuhan Sports University, is an expert in kungfu who has taken the crown many times in the Hong Kong International Kungfu Competitions. She beat out her peers to get the only spot in a semester abroad program in the United States, where she taught Chinese kungfu free of charge in her spare time. After she returned to China, Liu started free kungfu lessons for foreigners in Wuhan. Now she teaches about 40 students from different countries in various fields.

In spring 2010, she came across a poster on campus for a semester in the United States. After a rigorous English interview by American exporters, she went over to the United States in May 2010.

Unlike most of her peers, who preferred to travel around in their free time, Liu always tried to make use of her specialty. She spent her spare time in fitness centers and martial arts centers, finding locals enthusiastic about kungfu. She made use of a 30-day post-project tour time by teaching kungfu free of charge at a local Chinese martial arts center.

After she came back from the United States, Liu Yi started her free kungfu lessons, teaching foreigners in the area. With the help of her English tutor David and his friends, she recruited more than 20 students, and began teaching basic postures. Now there are at least 40 students from America, France and Canada studying kungfu in Liu's classes.

Liu Yi also serves as a kungfu coach at WTO Department of Wuhan University. Although many institutes want to hire her, she has mapped out her own plan. She said, "I want to gain some experience through teaching foreigners. I hope to run my own kungfu club in the future and carry forward this Chinese tradition."