We started off the morning by visiting a kung fu school, which I really enjoyed. As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed with an elaborate performance showcasing the students' skills. They used different weapons, waved colorful flags, performed incredible flips, and even put on a traditional dragon dance. It was amazing to watch how coordinated everyone was, and it was clear that they had spent years training to reach that level. The entire performance was a really cool way to introduce us to Chinese martial arts before we got to try it ourselves.
After the performance, the instructors gave us a demonstration of some basic moves before teaching us a full sequence that we had to follow. It was definitely harder than it looked! One thing that made it even more fun for me was that I used to take karate when I was younger, so it brought back a lot of memories. Even though kung fu is very different from karate, I enjoyed learning the movements and trying to keep up with everyone else. It gave me a new appreciation for the amount of discipline and practice that goes into mastering martial arts.
Once we finished our lesson, we learned more about the school and the students who train there. I was surprised to find out that many of the students actually live at the school year-round and only get a weekend break every two weeks. We got to tour the dorms where they sleep, and I couldn't believe how small the rooms were, especially since several students shared each one. Along with their regular school classes, most of their day is dedicated to training and preparing for kung fu competitions. Seeing how much time and effort they put into improving their skills was really inspiring.
After leaving the school, we had lunch at a nearby mall where I tried a really good bowl of ramen and had some ice cream. It was nice to relax for a little while before heading to our next stop, NBA China.
Visiting the NBA China offices was definitely one of my favorite experiences of the trip because basketball is my favorite sport. We learned all about how the NBA promotes games and players throughout China and how they tailor their marketing to a completely different audience. I thought it was especially interesting how certain NBA teams become popular in China because of one player with a connection to the region. They talked about how stars like Yao Ming completely changed the popularity of the Houston Rockets, and now newer international players like Wemby are helping grow basketball even more. It was really interesting to learn about everything that happens behind the scenes to make the NBA such a global brand. They even gave us some really cool NBA China gifts to take home.
That night, a group of us went out to dinner, where I got to have Peking duck again along with a variety of other delicious Chinese dishes. It was a great way to end the day. Looking back, this was probably one of my favorite days of the trip because it combined so many of my interests. We got to experience traditional Chinese culture through kung fu while also seeing the business side of one of my favorite sports. It taught me a lot while also being a lot of fun.
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