When the bastion of wushu holds an international competition, Chinese are expected to dominate in numbers and performance.

But at the Second World Traditional Wushu Championships, which opened yesterday in Zhengzhou of Henan Province, roughly half of the 2,000 contestants are from overseas and they are not in it for a token appearance.

Like Brown Jamel of the United States, who has been doing squats lifting a 160-kilogram barbell for the past six months to make him jump even higher.

"My dream has come true now that I am here in China as a wushu contestant," said the 21-year-old from New York.

The four-day event, claimed to be the biggest gathering of its kind in the world, has drawn about 2,000 competitors from 66 countries and regions.

Henan is the home of the world-renowned Shaolin Temple, long a custodian of Chinese martial arts. Since 1991, seven Shaolin wushu festivals have been held here, greatly raising the global profile of wushu.

Chen Guorong, vice-chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association, said: "Traditional martial arts have developed over thousands of years in China and evolved into 129 types of boxing, of which 11 have been selected for athletic martial arts events."

A series of cultural events will also be held during the festival, including a grand ceremony at Shaolin Temple where about 15,000 local kungfu practitioners will show off their skills.

And certain to be watching in rapt attention will be Jamel. "I am simply overwhelmed to be here at the motherland of wushu," he said.

Jamel, a member of the New York Shaolin Wushu Team, had his first encounter with the martial art two years ago when he accompanied one of his basketball teammates to a Taiji lecture and was soon hooked.

He has also developed great interest in Chinese culture, such as the language, calligraphy and painting.

"Back in my community, many, just like me, have discovered the benefits of practising wushu not only physically, but also for mental and spiritual health as well," he said.

An eminent monk at Shaolin Temple said more than 300 foreign disciples had been admitted in the past years.

(China Daily October 17, 2006)