Chun Yi: the Legend of Kung Fu

[GeneChing]

Chun Ye – The Legend of Kung Fu
Written by Dirk Myers
Wednesday, 08 December 2010 21:52


Dinner and a show in Branson has become a exotic occasion since the arrival of Chun Ye, The Legend of Kung Fu to the White House Theatre. That's right China has taken over the White House in – not in Washington DC, but in Branson, Missouri. The 57,00 square foot theater was purchased by a Chinese company to feature this production. Many of the performers also performed this feature presentation in the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Legend of Kung Fu has been performed more than 3000 times worldwide and this is the first time a theater has been purchased outside of China for such a showcase. Precision acrobatics, modern dance, and original music help tell the story of a young boy pursuing spiritual and physical harmony. With a cast of 65 performers, it is one of the largest theatrical productions in Branson, immersing audiences in magnificent scenery, lighting, sound and special effects as the tale unfolds.

This show that has made trips throughout the globe has come to Branson as an amazing display of Martial Arts set to dance and acrobatics. From 2004 to present the show has been seen in China, Vancouver, London, Moscow, and Reno. Now, those who visit Branson have the opportunity to enjoy this breath-taking spectacle of Chinese artistry.

If you are brining a group The White House Theatre has a package for you. Group rates are available with various options. Visitors can experience China at it's finest with a dinner and Show Package. This meal includes popular Oriental cuisine to make your whole experience a step into Chinese culture.

Don't miss an experience that is unlike anything in Branson; tickets can be purchased by going to www.KungFuBranson.com or calling 417-335-2395. This show will be an awesome experience for the entire family.

China has taken over the White House?

[GeneChing]

Right in the midst of President Hu Jintao's visit.

Chinese kung fu, cash hit town
A wave of small-scale investments from China bring jobs, avoid scrutiny


Performers at The White House Theater in Branson, Mo. which was purchased by a Beijing-based company for $3.5 million. Local tourism officials hope "The Legend of Kung-fu" about a boy on a quest for wisdom will help attract a younger set of visitors to the town.
By Kari Huus Reporter
msnbc.com msnbc.com
updated 1/19/2011 11:28:45 AM ET 2011-01-19T16:28:45


In a little publicized coup, Chinese martial artists have stormed the White House. The White House Theater, that is.

A Beijing-based performance company purchased the iconic venue in the entertainment mecca of Branson, Mo., for $3.5 million, renovated it and launched
"The Legend of Kung-Fu" in June.

Where once there was gospel, “patriotic tributes” and Sonny and Cher impersonators, now there is a cast and crew of 68 Chinese putting on an action-packed Vegas-paced show featuring a mix of martial artists, actors, singers and drummers. Locals say they are thrilled with the foreign takeover.

“One thing we like is they bought a theater that was vacant,” says the city’s public affairs director, Jerry Adams. “And they gave people one more reason to visit Branson by offering a different variety of show. … They’ve been excellent business partners.”

Superpower status? Not us, say most Chinese

As Chinese become wealthier, they are seeking investments around the world: mines and oil wells, banks, hotels, real estate, technology, manufacturing and food companies.

The big deals capture the spotlight, especially when they are controversial or are killed by politics. But this week, as Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the United States, he will seek to highlight another type of deal — the deals that don’t merit political furor but are courted by local governments to bolster economies and create jobs.

That includes little-noticed deals such as the White House Theater that become part of the fabric of American towns.

In 2010, the value of the biggest seven Chinese deals—not including bond sales—totaled more than $6.16 billion, roughly the same as in 2009, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation, which compiles a database of Chinese investments that have a value of more than $100 million. The group’s database shows that there were no Chinese investments of more than $100 million as recently as 2005.

“But that’s living in this world that we can see … involving big investments and big companies,” says Derek Scissors, Asia Economics Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

“Public perception in America and China is dominated by the high-profile deals,” says Thilo Hanemann, research director for Rhodium Group, an economic research firm in New York. “The real story is of the small and middle-sized deals that provide jobs in manufacturing and services.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

continued from previous

A scene from "The Legend of Kung-fu," a production at the White House Theater in Branson, Mo., after a Chinese performance company bought the facility.

Smaller deals like the White House Theater are very difficult to track. Many Chinese investments come through intermediary companies or third countries, and some are not counted as foreign investments though they are foreign in all but name.

For instance, Chinese-born tycoon David Liu bought seven distressed apartment complexes in the Phoenix area last year for about $480 million ($133 million in cash plus assumed debt). Liu, now a U.S. citizen, would not be considered a foreign investor, though he reportedly made most of his money through real estate deals in his hometown Beijing.

Hanemann, of Rhodium, points to some of the deals that tend to be overlooked: A $29 million investment in Suntech Power Holdings to make solar panels in Goodyear, Ariz.; a $46 million infusion in Moberly, Mo., to open a plant making a sugar substitute; $10 million invested by China’s sporting goods company Li Ning to open a store in Portland, Ore.

When Hu visits Chicago this week, he reportedly is going to visit a newly opened solar panel plant in Rockford, Ill., built with a $12 million investment by Chinese auto conglomerate Wanxiang through its U.S. operation.

The company that bought the Branson theater, Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Co., hit just the right chord, to hear locals tell it. The 1,200-seat theater is one of about 45 show venues in the community — part of a tourism industry that is the lifeblood of the small town. Branson, with a population just shy of 8,000, gets 8 million visitors a year, according to the city government.

Infusion of new blood
But the city has been in need of fresh G-rated acts to update its look. Branson gained a reputation in the 1970s as a country music destination after Roy Clark took a shine to it and set up his Roy Clark Celebrity Theater there. Later, it attracted crooner Andy Williams (still performing in Branson at age 83) and big band leader Lawrence Welk, aka Mr. Wunnerful. Welk’s theater finally turned to Broadway musicals and lively fare for baby boomers.

Over the past several years, the city has worked to shed its reputation as a playland for the elderly. With the addition of a Titanic museum, family shows like "Peter Pan," and the town’s first upscale shopping mall, the average age of visitors has dropped to 54 from 58 in 2005.

“(The kung fu) shows are family-oriented, like all shows in Branson,” says Adams, the city official. “We are marketing to a younger demographic. We feel this show fits right in.”

China Heaven also bought a large bed and breakfast in town to house its Chinese cast and crew. There are about 20 American employees.

According to Branson economic development director Garrett Anderson, the investment has prompted other Chinese investors to inquire about the town.

Jim Rader, the Branson Realtor who represented the White House Theater seller — an elderly man who was no longer up to operating the facility — says the Chinese drove a hard bargain. They got the theater on 12 acres for just $3.5 million, down from an asking price of $5.5 million.
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Rader exudes enthusiasm about the investors.

“They were the grandest folks I could ever hope to deal with,” he says. “They were just good people. They were business people, but interested in everybody and everything.”

Likewise, China Heaven says it received a warm reception by the chamber of commerce and the community at large.

"Based on our experience, the local city government, peer professional artists (and the) audience, are all friendly to our entertainers and show," the company said in an email reponse to questions. "We did not feel (push-back) within our half year operation."

Deals that end amicably are probably more the rule than the exception — and certainly far outnumber the number of investments that get flayed in Washington for a mix of political reasons and real national security concerns. Hanemann says such problems have an outsized impact on investor confidence.

“The U.S. doesn’t have a defined list of sectors that foreigners can or can’t invest in as China does,” he says. “There’s no clear definition, and there are different domestic groups who want to use the lack of clarity to politicize them.”

“But the failed deals have a lot to do with perception. Chinese investors may not feel welcome.”

Derailed deals
Most notable among the deals that have been derailed in the United States was a 2005 bid by Cnooc Ltd., the Hong Kong-listed unit of China’s largest offshore energy explorer, to buy California’s Unocal Corp. for $18.5 billion.

In July, China's Anshan Iron and Steel Group withdrew a bid to buy a 20 percent stake in a small U.S. rebar mill, Steel Development Co., after 50 lawmakers who make up the U.S. Steel Caucus opposed it on grounds of national security.

John Correnti, CEO of the U.S. steel company said the investment would create 1,200 construction jobs, and 200 permanent steel jobs. He called the national security argument "laughable."

Anshan is now is reportedly considering purchasing a smaller stake in the plant, a sign that investor confidence may be improving.
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To be sure there have also been Chinese investments in the United States that have churned up frustration while jobs are scarce and anxiety is running high. Many lawmakers and ordinary Americans believe China has been manipulating its currency, keeping it artificially low to boost its exports, consequently causing the U.S. to lose jobs to Chinese companies.

In that kind of atmosphere, politicians want to be sure they don’t end up taking the flak if a deal ends up costing American jobs.

“If they come in and buy one of our hotels and operate it, that’s fine. It keeps running and they still hire staff,” says Bill Stafford, president of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. “What you don’t want is to say: ‘Good news! The Chinese are investing $100 million to buy XX company. … Sad to say they are moving the company out of the country.'”

Perhaps the ambivalence helps explain why top brass from China Heaven have gone out of their way to show they are community-minded. They quickly joined the Branson Chamber of Commerce and the local entertainment marketing association.

It may also account for why, before they finalized the White House deal, they showed up at Branson City Hall one day, with no apparent agenda other than to introduce themselves.

“Our first contact with (China Heaven) was not them asking us for incentives,” says Anderson, economic development director for Branson.

“They came to City Hall in almost a formal and ritualistic way. … I think they were coming to ask us for our blessing.”

[GeneChing]

In this article, they've dropped the Chun Yi. That's going to make this thread harder to search.

Aiming high
Updated: 2011-10-10 07:59
By Chen Nan (China Daily)

More Chinese artists are performing abroad, reflecting a growing interest in the West in the nation's rich culture. Chen Nan reports.


Aiming high
The Legend of Kungfu, combining kungfu with acrobatics, has been viewed by 2 million people around the world since its premiere in 2004. [Provided to China Daily]

Chinese artist Li Yugang's world tour of Four Beauties of Ancient China kicked off on Oct 3 and will take a slice of the nations' iconic operatic tradition - Peking Opera - to audiences in Japan, the United States, Austria and Britain.

Li first performed abroad in 2008 when he sang solo at the Sydney Opera House to a crowd of more than 2,000. He will return to Australia in early 2012 to present his cross-dressing interpretation of China's four ancient beauties in a show that combines traditional opera and its elaborate costumes, with pop music and grand stage design.

At a time when China hungers for the latest information from the West, Li's success shows the growing interest in the West in the nation's rich, 5,000-year history.

Even as the 33-year-old launches his world tour, Chinese singer Sa Dingding has just wrapped up her 12-nation tour across Europe, the US and Asia. Like Li, the 30-year-old vocalist, winner of the 2008 BBC World Music Award for her album Alive, has impressed foreign audiences with her versatility. She sings in not just Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Mandarin, but also in a language that is her own creation.

Sa dazzled the audience at the Royal Albert Hall in the United Kingdom in 2008, with her exotic costumes and the use of musical instruments from China's ethnic groups. She holds nearly 100 performances around the world every year.

Meanwhile, The Legend of Kungfu, a martial arts production by China Heaven Creation Theater Company, has been performed nearly 5,000 times at home and abroad, attracting more than 2 million people, since its premiere in July 2004.

The company bought the White House Theater in Branson, Missouri, US, at the end of 2009, to facilitate the show's regular performance, in July 2010.

"Like Peking Opera, martial arts have long been one of China's important cultural exports. The show combines kungfu with acrobatics, another traditional art form, making The Legend of Kungfu unique," says Cao Xiaoning, CEO of China Heaven Creation Theater Company. "Foreigners are interested in a culture that is so different from theirs."

Cao says the show was an instant success when it toured North America in August 2005. The five-month tour, which pulled in more than 100,000 people, brought the company $3 million in revenue.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the nation has opened nine government-supported culture centers in countries like Japan, France, Germany and South Korea. More are in the pipeline and will showcase China's martial arts, language and dance.

During the Edinburgh Festival 2011, an audience of 2,000 sat in rapt attention at a two-hour ballet show, The Peony Pavilion. A National Ballet of China production, it tells a 400-year-old love story written by Tang Xianzu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

It is based on the epic Kunqu Opera of the same title, and was produced by Zhao Ruheng, former artistic director of the National Ballet, and choreographed by Fei Bo, in 2008. The bold adaptation of an age-old opera into a modern ballet won much acclaim, including from Cindy Sughrue, Scottish Ballet's chief executive/executive producer, who called it "fusion ballet".

"The blending of Western classical ballet, classical symphony orchestra and traditional Chinese instruments and characters from Kunqu Opera is such great art," Sughrue said after watching the show.

Considering that ballet first arrived in China in the 1950s from the former Soviet Union and is still a young art form in the country, it was a pioneering move by the National Ballet.

"The show is a successful example of China's forays into mainstream Western culture," says Zhao Shaohua, vice-minister of culture.

She says cultural exchange programs and cooperation with foreign companies are other effective ways to introduce Chinese culture to foreigners.

Statistics from the Ministry of Culture show that cultural exports accounted for $14.39 billion in 2010. Of this, movies generated $549 million at the box office and online games, $230 million.

Ye Xiaowen, vice-president of the Central Institute of Socialism and former director of State Administration of Religious Affairs, says that with the country's economic boom, products made in China are being sold all over the world, and now the country needs to revive its culture influence.

"We suffer from a severe trade deficit in cultural communication between the East and West. China should 'go global'.

"Harmony is one of the most important elements of traditional Chinese culture. This is a culture that can be well received by the world."

[GeneChing]

Has anyone been to this theater yet?

Theater of dreams
Updated: 2012-04-06 08:42
By Liu Lu (China Daily)


The Legend of Kungfu, the best-selling show of China Heaven Creation. Photo Provided to China Daily

Chinese-owned performance center in US boostS nation's cultural advances

Of the 50-odd theaters in Branson City - the third largest performing arts center after Broadway and Las Vegas in the United States - the White House Theatre is undoubtedly one of the most popular.

Unlike other shows in the Missouri city, the vast majority of shows staged at this particular theater are the exotic, Oriental kind that captivate the audience and bring with it fresh thrills to the city's artistic productions.

The White House Theatre became the first fully-owned Chinese theater in the US after its current owner, the Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company, acquired the facilities for about $6.5 million (4.92 million euros) in 2009.

Thanks to this bold move, as other Chinese performing arts groups are still seeking ways to enter the international performing arts market, China Heaven Creation has already successfully brought its classics to the mainstream US audience in less than two years, thereby giving it an unparalleled edge.

To further enhance its brand awareness in the international art scene, China Heaven Creation's Executive Director Cao Xiaoning says the company is committed to developing world-famous performing arts products. These Chinese cultural productions will prove to be the ideal medium for facilitating global cross-cultural exchanges, he says.

"Chinese cultural and art enterprises should take a bigger role in exploring new ways to showcase Chinese cultural products in overseas markets."

Cao says even in the 1990s, every year, particularly during festive seasons, there were many outstanding Chinese performing groups touring overseas. But most of them offered free admissions and their audiences were largely restricted to overseas Chinese, thereby having little influence in the local mainstream society. Most of these commercial performances were arranged by foreign agents, and hence did not offer much prospects for Chinese art groups to make inroads in the overseas markets.

"It is vital to break the bottlenecks that are restricting China's performance products from going overseas," Cao says.

But having good products alone is not enough to gain a toehold, he says, adding that without powerful overseas marketing channels and platforms, it is very difficult to build up world-renowned performance products.

"Short-term tours cannot help Chinese performance arts products establish an enduring reputation with the overseas audience, as the market is still dominated by Western performers," Cao says.

It is to get over these problems that China Heaven Creation decided to acquire the White House Theatre three years ago, thereby allowing its best products to go directly into the US market, Cao says. It also demonstrates the determination of Chinese artists to explore the mainstream Western performing arts market.

In addition to setting up performance venues, the company has also actively engaged in overseas marketing campaigns, as Cao believes the best way to make China's performing arts products approach the mainstream Western audience is to make better use of commercial channels and to manage shows in what is essentially a market-oriented operation.

"Ticket sales will reflect whether a popular show in China is still adored in other countries. Let the market determine if it should survive or not," Cao says.

By far the best-selling show of China Heaven Creation is a theatrical makeover of Chinese ancient martial art spectacle called The Legend of Kungfu, which is also China's top-grossing show of all time in overseas markets.

In 2011 alone, the show notched up sales revenue of more than 60 million yuan ($9.5 million, 7.1 million euros), and the figure is expected to double this year, Cao predicts.

The show's choreography is a thrilling blend of fantastic feats of kung fu artistry, emotion-filled ballet and modern dance, high-flying acrobatics and enchanting original music, which tells the story of a young man who embarks on an epic journey to enlightenment after undergoing a series of formidable trials and overcoming obstacles.

The show is now the longest-running production from China and has been seen by more than 30 million people to date, with the majority of its audience from the US and Europe, Cao says.

The kung fu practitioners have performed the show around the world.

By far this grand production involving some 60 performers has toured North America, Europe and some Asian countries, surpassing 5,000 performances.

According to Cao, the show has been adapted into seven different versions in four languages, so as to meet the demand of different audience groups.

Before hitting Broadway and embarking on a European tour, in 2009, Chinese artists ran 27 performances of the show at the London Coliseum, triggering a strong kung fu whirlwind among local residents.

"The Legend of Kungfu marks the first time that a Chinese show was able to enter London's high-end performing market by relying completely on commercial operations," Cao says proudly, adding that they have received more and more invitations from theaters in Europe after their successful premiere in London.

Cao attributes the success of The Legend of Kungfu to its Broadway style, which he thought is unlike any other kung fu stunt from China and is more likely to be accepted by Western audience.

"If a Chinese performing arts show wants to enter the mainstream market in a foreign country, it must be in a way that is acceptable to local people," Cao says.

In an effort to make the show a breathtaking on-stage artistry in the eyes of Western audience, Broadway veteran director Ray Roderick has been invited to join the artistic team to redevelop the script, which not only creates a visual feast but also opens a window into the remarkable culture of China.

Apart from The Legend of Kungfu, China Heaven Creation has developed 10 classic repertoires, of which half have been introduced to the US and European markets, with all receiving good response, and more are expected to come.

"Creativity and artistic innovation are the keys to surviving the intense competition in overseas markets," Cao says.

In addition to the creation of their own classic repertoire, China Heaven Creation also plans to promote excellent plays created by other Chinese art groups to the world through their established overseas platform.

"We want to build the White House Theatre as a platform to showcase outstanding Chinese performing arts productions to more overseas audiences," Cao says.

He says along with the global economic integration, the era of global cultural integration is bound to come.

"To help people from other countries to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and art is sure to benefit China's economic development in the long run," Cao says.

liulu@chinadaily.com.cn

[GeneChing]

This thread began in 2006. This show has got some legs. Shaolin legs!

Masters of Kung Fu to storm India
New Delhi, Jan 16:

Stunning acrobats, a staple of so called ‘Kung-Fu’ action movies starring the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan that have long captured the imagination of countless fans, is now set to be enacted live in India.

Beijing-based performing arts company China Heaven Creation, is gearing up to perform a Kung Fu and ballet based show in various parts of India, starting from Delhi and gradually moving on to Mumbai and Bangalore.

Kolkata may also catch a glimpse of the acrobatics show titled “The legend of Kung Fu” produced by Arya Carnivals.

A curtain raiser for the show which included kung fu with ballet, modern dance, acrobatics and magic with high-tech lighting and powerful music was held in the capital a while ago.

The martial arts, ‘Kung Fu’ often seen as an act of aggression is on the contrary, a discipline practised by Buddhist monks to strengthen their minds and bring inner peace, say practitioners.

“Having originated in India, Buddhism is a thread that connects chinese people with India,” according to Zhang Zhihong, Cultural Attache at the Chinese Embassy.

“We share the many common philosophical, cultural and religious values. Thus, we are very eager to interact with Indian audience and place before them an art-form that though popular through movies in India, has never being experienced live,” says Li Dazhong, director of Creative Heaven.

“The legend of Kung Fu” narrates the story of a young monk, Chun Yi. The show portrays how Yi overcomes various physical and spiritual challenges and finally becomes a master, through music, dance, magic and of course lots of Kung Fu.

Creative Heaven has entered into a five year deal with Arya Carnival and promises to stun us with many more of such shows in the future. The “Legends of Kung Fu” show has been performed over 5,000 times globally in Japan, Russia, Canada, Britain, Spain and the US.

“We will observe the kind of response we get from Indian audience and then will decide what shows we can take on over the coming years,” adds Dazhong.

The venues of the event are scheduled at Siri Fort sports complex in Delhi and the Kingdom of Heaven in Gurgaon, with regular shows starting from February 1.

Tickets for the 90-minute show are tentatively priced at Rs 1500. “We plan to arrange some subsidised shows for school and college goers to capture their imagination,” according to Depak Bahl, CEO, Arya Carnivals.

One of the young artisans of the show, Zhang has only just recently graduated from one of the martial arts school of his native Shanxi province of China but he is already a globetrotter with his group performing and receiving praise in various parts of the world such as Missouri, London and Toronto among others.

When asked about his future ambitions, Zhang replies with a smile “I want to be a star of the Kung Fu movies.”

“We face a long process of scrutiny and verification before we can get a work permit to perform in India. This process can stretch for two to three months,” says Dazhong.

“But once we are here, we can start performing in couple of days,” he adds.

“Embassy officials both in Delhi and Beijing are very helpful in facilitating the organisation of the show, and there have been no problems so far,” says Bahl.

[BrokenTitanium]

Had the pleasure of seeing the show at the Red Theater here in Beijing. The wife and I went to see it two weeks ago. I will say the show is amazing, its powerful and full of emotions. I regret seeing it only once, especially since I was here in Beijing for a whole month.I am leaving back to the states on 1 Feb 2013.

[GeneChing]

Sounds like you had a great stay. Have a safe trip home. And never mind the post I just made on the Kung Fu Restaurant thread.

[GeneChing]

This thread is now a decade old.

Kung fu master Hu Cheng teaches art in Jefferson City
February 11th, 2019 by Danisha Hogue in News Read Time: 2 mins.


Hu shows his kung fu weapons. Cheng is a Kung Fu and Tai Chi instructor in Jefferson City. During his time in China he learned the arts from monks and brought his teaching style to Jefferson City.
Photo by Jenna Kieser /News Tribune.

"The Legend of Kung Fu" is the story of a young boy who wants to become a kung fu master. Through his journey as a monk, he overcomes challenges and achieves peace. This show featuring ballet dancers and fast-paced choreography is the most popular traveling show in Beijing, China.

The story is similar to that of Jefferson City resident Hu Cheng.

Born in Henan Province, China, Cheng learned kung fu at an early age. He would grow to master the art, become the lead in "The Legend of Kung Fu" show and bring his art to Mid-Missouri.

When Hu, a shy, quiet child, told his father he wanted to train at the Shaolin Temple at 13 years old, he was able to do just that. He had studied the basics at age 9 and found the art interesting. He noted Jet Li was an early influence for him.

"At first you just feel like it's really hard, but in China the instructors teach you how to be stronger. They are trying to push you really hard," he said. "After half a year I started to feel stronger. My parents even could tell — I started to talk more and be very open."

Hu spent five years at the Shaolin Temple, where intense training would take place nine hours a day, five days a week.

"In the Shaolin Temple there's a lot of mountains, so that's good to practice your kung fu skills, which is training and climbing mountains as fast as you can," Hu said. "The first three years is all the same thing, and then you can tell the difference depending on how fast you are, how strong you are, how powerful you are, how flexible you are."

After three years of basic training, he chose his professional weapon — a double sword, one for each hand.

At this time he also was chosen from 30,000 students to perform in tourist shows at the temple.

"When I was a kid, I was dreaming I can be on a stage and show people my skills. After these two years' experience on a stage, I feel very, very confident on the stage," Hu said.

He traveled to Beijing in 2005 to audition for "The Legend of Kung Fu." He stayed with the company eight years, traveling to places like Korea and Malasia. He also performed in the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony.

For five years, Hu played the show's lead role, Chun Yi. In 2011, during a 10-month stop in Branson — his first time in America — he met his wife, Jefferson City native Kristin Hu, who was working on the show's marketing.

Hu left the show in 2013 and returned to America to be with Kristin. Now, he's working his first non-kung fu job as a production operator at PFSbrands in Holts Summit.

He teaches private kung fu lessons at home and tai chi classes at the Holt Summit Lions Club. He is certified in TaijiZen, a method created by Jet Li. He also will begin offering tai chi fitness classes weekly at the Jefferson City Shikles Recreation Center later this month.

Hu teaches students the basics of tai chi and kung fu. He laughs when he explains how these arts are different from karate.

"It's neat to see him sharing the culture," Kristin said of her husband. "He got to live his dream, but he's getting to share some of that with people, too."

Hu said his new dream is teaching full time.

"When I was on the stage, it was like a dream; it was perfect," he said. "I'm so glad when I was young I was able to do that. I just feel like if I can teach full time, that's my next dream."