At a Wushu (Chinese martial arts) club in the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, more than 100 Chinese martial arts enthusiasts, clad in training clothes, are enthusiastically practicing martial arts techniques with force, precision and short, thunderous shouts.
Despite temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, their passion for martial arts burns even hotter.
Between rigorous training sessions, Burhan, the martial arts club's founder, weaves among his students, correcting and teaching them their techniques.
Like many foreign enthusiasts of Chinese kung fu, his interest was sparked by the films of Bruce Lee. He devoured books, bought DVDs, sought out teachers and began his martial arts journey at the age of eight.
As he delved deeper, his interest in Chinese culture grew. “To master Chinese martial arts, you have to understand the culture and philosophy behind them,” he explains. “There's an Arabic proverb that says, 'Go to China for knowledge,' and the same applies to martial arts.”
In 2011, he embarked on a journey to Henan, China to pursue his kung fu dreams.
This dream-fulfilling journey provided him with comprehensive martial arts training and a deeper understanding of the cultural logic and traditional spirit behind various Chinese martial arts styles.
“Shaolin emphasizes both internal and external training, Tai Chi embodies the wisdom of overcoming the strong with the strong, and Wing Chun balances hardness and softness. Every movement of the martial arts embodies the essence of ancient Chinese philosophy,” he says.
