1. Zhao Changjun's firm belief and selfless dedication: from the deep love of martial arts
Zhao Changjun closed his eyes, as if savoring every emotion of the past years. Whenever martial arts are mentioned, the corners of his mouth are always upturned, and he can't hide the love and focus from the bottom of his heart.
"For me, the love affair with martial arts is beyond words," he said in his memories many years later.
Despite the ups and downs and challenges in his life, Zhao Changjun has always been determined to move towards the same goal - to inherit and carry forward the traditional Chinese cultural treasure of martial arts.
This firm belief and selfless dedication have run through his pursuit for most of his life.
When he was still a child, a chance street brawl set Zhao Changjun on the path of martial arts. That frustrating defeat, although it dealt a heavy blow to him, also inspired his inner fighting spirit.
However, it wasn't long before martial arts became more than just a matter of regaining the dignity he had lost, but a lifelong pursuit. Since the age of six, Zhao Changjun has devoted himself to the world of martial arts.
Despite the family's modest wealth, his parents did their best to support their son in pursuing his dreams and eventually enrolled him in a professional martial arts school.
There, Zhao Changjun became acquainted with his lifelong mentor, Yuan Runsheng. As a veteran martial arts master, Yuan Runsheng quickly recognized the unique potential of this young man, and he took Zhao Changjun as an apprentice with great expectations and taught him the essence of martial arts.
Whether it is day or night, as long as Zhao Changjun has time, Yuan Runsheng will patiently and meticulously guide him in his palms, basic skills and other skills, and his requirements are extremely strict. Once, when Zhao Changjun was practicing Baguazhang, his movements seemed stiff and weak, and Yuan Runsheng unexpectedly picked up the bamboo pole mercilessly and slapped him on the arm, making him grin in pain.
"If you want to learn martial arts well, you have to endure pain!" Yuan Runsheng told him solemnly. Despite all the difficulties, Zhao Changjun still gritted his teeth and persevered, and under the careful teaching of his teacher, he gradually mastered many martial arts skills.
In this way, the seeds of martial arts took deep root in Zhao Changjun's heart.......
2. The frustration of street fighting: the loss of the dignity of the warrior because of a parking space
At that time, Zhao Changjun was only 19 years old, and as the national martial arts champion at that time, his talent and skills had already emerged in the martial arts world. However, who would have thought that even he would lose in a street brawl and be embarrassed.
It all started with a dispute over taxis! On that day, Zhao Changjun confidently prepared to take a taxi to an important match.
However, what he never expected was that in the process of taking a taxi, he actually had a heated argument with three street gangsters over a parking space, and even turned into a physical altercation.
As a veteran professional martial artist, Zhao Changjun should have been able to deal with this conflict with ease, and he could subdue his opponent with just one move. However, in the face of a large number of fierce opponents, coupled with his deep compassion for others, he was afraid of accidentally hurting them, but instead he ended up in a difficult situation and fell in the mud in embarrassment.
At that moment, Zhao Changjun seemed to have lost all his courage. The "martial arts master" who was once admired by everyone is now paralyzed on the street like a chicken in the soup, which undoubtedly brought him a heavy psychological blow.
To make matters worse, the incident quickly spread among the surrounding residents, and gossip about him spreading everywhere made him feel extremely ashamed.
To this day, Zhao Changjun still clearly remembers the unbearable humiliation of being defeated at that time. For a warrior, this is undoubtedly a great shame. It was this street brawl that inspired him to practice martial arts more diligently, and he vowed to surpass others and regain his dignity in the future.
3. The arduous process of learning martial arts as a teenager: the unwavering support of parents creates dreams
That frustrating street defeat made the young Zhao Changjun determined that he must redouble his efforts to cultivate martial arts, in the hope that he could one day defeat his opponent and regain his dignity.
In fact, Zhao Changjun's love for martial arts has long been deeply rooted in his heart. Since the age of six, he has been learning martial arts, and despite his family's modest financial situation, his family has been steadfast in pursuing his dreams.
When the parents witnessed their son's passion for martial arts, they decided to send him to a professional martial arts school for systematic training. There, Zhao Changjun got acquainted with his mentor in life, Yuan Runsheng.
This respected martial artist of the older generation has high hopes for the unlimited potential contained in this young man, and at the same time, he also deeply feels his dedication to martial arts.
Therefore, Yuan Runsheng did not hesitate to personally guide Zhao Changjun and teach the essence of various martial arts. Whether it is day or night, as long as Zhao Changjun has time, Yuan Runsheng will patiently and meticulously teach him basic skills such as palm techniques and basic skills, and the requirements for him are also extremely strict.
I still remember the original scene, when Zhao Changjun was cultivating Baguazhang, his movements always seemed stiff and weak. Seeing this, Yuan Runsheng, who was broad-minded and had eyes like a torch, immediately waved the bamboo pole in his hand and swept it towards Zhao Changjun's arm with force, making him so painful that he couldn't help but grin his teeth.
"If you want to become great, you must first endure pain!" Yuan Runsheng said in a firm tone. Despite the difficulties he faced, Zhao Changjun remained tenacious and unyielding, gritted his teeth, and continued to practice Baguazhang and other boxing techniques.
Under the spur of Teacher Yuan's strict requirements, Zhao Changjun gradually comprehended and mastered the essence and skills of many martial arts.
In addition to a solid foundation of kung fu, Yuan Runsheng also imparted Zhao Changjun rich practical experience. "Martial arts is not just fists and feet, but also a contest of minds." Yuan Runsheng often admonished Zhao Changjun with this.
Under his words and deeds, Zhao Changjun gradually realized the true meaning of the spirit of martial arts - whether it is to perceive the flaws of the opponent or to anticipate the opponent's attack, the inner composure and calmness are also crucial.
In this way, in the midst of hardship, Zhao Changjun quietly grew into an outstanding martial artist...
Fourth, the old feud with Jet Li: The opponent will never have a chance to fight
Since the emergence of martial arts competitions in the province, Zhao Changjun has formed an indissoluble bond with his lifelong opponent and old enemy, Jet Li. As the rising stars of the same year, they competed fiercely on the stage of the 1975 National Wushu Competition.
At the scene of the game, Jet Li's vigorous and flexible skills left a deep impression on Zhao Changjun. Although his figure was slightly thin, every move and style was full of strength and smoothness and naturalness, which made Zhao Changjun worry in his heart.
As expected, Jet Li finally defeated him by a narrow margin, won the crown of this competition, and was known as the "all-around champion".
However, this is only the prelude to a long rivalry between the two. In the following five years, Jet Li defeated Zhao Changjun in five consecutive competitions and successfully achieved five consecutive championships. Whenever he sees Jet Li crowning himself on the stage again and again, the anger and jealousy in Zhao Changjun's heart continue to accumulate.
As an opponent of equal strength, he never won in the official arena, which made him almost lose his dignity as a warrior.
"I must defeat Jet Li!" Zhao Changjun secretly strengthened his determination. In order to achieve this lofty goal, he unreservedly devoted all his energy, day after day, and worked hard to hone his exquisite martial arts, looking forward to one day showing his skills in that famous ring and winning the glory of public attention.
What is still fresh in my memory is that once, in order to break through his own limit, Zhao Changjun did not close his eyes for three consecutive days and three nights, until his eyes were red and his whole body was exhausted.
However, as time flies, the two of them gradually deviate from the trajectory of their lives, and their dreams seem to become more and more unattainable. In 1979, Jet Li had to leave his beloved stage because of an injury, and Zhao Changjun saw a faint glimmer of light.
Whenever he recalls this past, Zhao Changjun will always have a trace of indescribable regret in his heart. He and Jet Li, the two leaders in the martial arts world, failed to compete in the ring, which is really suffocating.
However, martial arts has become the love of Zhao Changjun's life, and even if he can't go head-to-head with Jet Li, he still sticks to this path without hesitation and moves forward bravely.
Fifth, the vigorous development of martial arts: forge ahead and eventually open up new horizons
Although the duel with Jet Li became a regret after all, Zhao Changjun did not give up his love for martial arts because of this. Instead, he turned his attention to the film and television field, which is full of opportunities, hoping to use this platform to promote the charm of traditional Chinese martial arts.
In 1982, when the classic martial arts film "Shaolin Temple" was preparing for filming, the director's first thought was martial arts master Zhao Changjun. However, at that time, Zhao Changjun happened to be in a position in another crew, and time was pressing, so he could only reluctantly cut his love and give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to others.
Who would have thought that it was this mistake that completely changed Zhao Changjun's fate. "Shaolin Temple" finally chose the popular student Jet Li to play the starring role, and the film was a great success upon its release, and Jet Li also knocked on the door to the bright film industry and became a household name "kung fu superstar".
Faced with Jet Li's brilliant achievements, Zhao Changjun's heart was full of endless remorse. If he had been able to seize this rare opportunity, perhaps the situation would have been completely different now.
However, since it has been missed, it is just a matter of going with the flow.
In order to avoid regrets again, Zhao Changjun made up his mind to break out of his own world in the film and television industry.
Soon after, he made a name for himself in many martial arts films, and although the role was not important, at least he had gained a firm foothold in the film and television industry. Just as Wangmei quenches her thirst, Zhao Changjun also hopes to better spread the breadth and profundity of Chinese martial arts culture in this way.
As Zhao Changjun's fame grew, it gradually attracted widespread attention, especially the rising star Donnie Yen, who is full of love for martial arts. Donnie Yen, the future "Oriental Ma Yun", also respectfully worshiped Zhao Changjun as his teacher, and devoted himself to practicing under him for two years.
Zhao Changjun, who pressured the true transmission of martial arts, founded his own martial arts school in response to the times, and continued to expand the road of martial arts transmission. At the beginning of the school, due to various difficulties caused by lack of experience, the operation of the school was difficult, and even put him in financial difficulties for a time, almost exhausting all the honors and salaries accumulated over the years.
However, Zhao Changjun did not lose heart, but with unswerving determination, the school has gradually developed and expanded, not only recruiting apprentices on the land of the motherland, but also expanding the influence of the school overseas, so that more and more foreign friends appreciate and love the long-standing Chinese kung fu.
With his hard work brick by brick, Zhao Changjun has created a brilliant martial arts career, and his achievements are outstanding and well-deserved. Under his leadership, Chinese martial arts has finally taken an important step towards the world stage, and the achievements are extraordinary!