MA Qitao: a kung fu master on campus

MA Qitao (College of Education, '18) is the Grand Prize winner of Zhejiang Province’s Student Talent Show and the university’s very own martial arts master.

Ma has got multiple national championships in martial arts (or wushu in the Chinese term) under his belt. “There were so many people! I was quite nervous when I stepped on stage. Surprisingly, once the performance began, I felt more relaxed and took off with it,” Ma said. The debut show remains fresh in his memory. 

His brilliant achievement in the champions even earned him the opportunity to perform with Hollywood movie star Jackie Chan during the China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala – a must-watch TV program for plenty of Chinese families on the Eve of Chinese New Year.

All good things require sacrifice and Ma’s journey is no exception. Ma started practicing wushu at the tender age of eight.

“Honestly, going through such grueling training at a young age was immensely stressful. I had even thought of giving up,” Ma remarks.

Before each competition, it is common for Ma to complete a two-week intensive training. It is no mean feat and Ma says he vomits almost after each training session due to the overexertion. Once, Ma even got himself injured and had to forfeit his place in the wushu tournament.
“Considering all the hard work put in -  up till this day -  I still feel disappointed at being unable to take part in that competition,” Ma says with a sigh.

Wushu has also enabled Ma to weather the many difficulties of life. Citing the traditional principle of ziqiangbuxi, Ma emphasizes how wushu has instilled in him perseverance and the desire to achieve excellence in his endeavors.

During the school semester, Ma juggles both training and academics. He practices wushu at least 6 - 8 hours a day and continues training even on weekends. This is coupled with the five half-day study load he undertakes for each academic semester.

Instead of grumbling over the high work load, Ma is very positive. In fact, he believes that academic classes and wushu are complementary to each. For instance, during his classes on Classics and Taoism, Ma got a deeper understanding on the cultural connotations of wushu.

It is said that a name carries a lot of weight and meaning. This is no different for Ma whose given name qitao stands for humility and determination. To that effect, he strives to live up to his name. He does not let past success get to his head and instead constantly seeks feedback for improvement. Despite his busy schedule, Ma also takes time to train children interested in wushu and hopes to open a wushu training facility in the future.

“Wushu, originated in China, but is meant for the world,” said Ma. “I hope that through my efforts more and more young people will understand and love wushu and China’s traditional culture.” 

Writers: SHAO Zicheng, Ian Chew

Editor: TIAN Minjie

Photos provided by: MA Qitao