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Zhang Fang with his teacher Wu Bin
at the 1999 World Championships in Hong Kong
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The origins of Helsingin Wushu are intertwined with
Zhang Fang, the head coach of the Finnish Wushu Federation. Zhang
Fang came to Finland in February 1990. He began training in wushu
at the age of 12 with well-known wushu masters such as Wang Huai
(王怀), Li Bing Ci (李秉慈), Wu Bin
(吳彬) and Xie Zhi Kuei (谢志奎).
He continued both his training and studies in
Beijing's Dongcheng elite
sporting
school
(东城体校) and Shi Sha Hai Ti Xia (什刹海体校)
sports school, his basic training was followed by a successful
competition career. Amongst
other
achievements, he won the Chinese youth wushu team
championships, competing in the same team as the now famous movie
star Jet Li (李连杰). |
Both
during and after his competition career, Zhang Fang has worked
as a full-time teacher and coach of wushu. He graduated from the
Beijing Sporting Polytechnic with wushu as his major subject. In
1989 Zhang Fang received teaching certificates from the highly
respected Yang
and Chen style masters Yang Zhen Duo (杨振铎)
and Chen Xiao Wang (陈小旺).
From 1990 up to the present day, Zhang Fang has worked as the
only professional full-time taijiquan and wushu teacher in Finland.
He played a key role in founding the Finnish Wushu Federation
in 1991. During the same year Zhang Fang led the Finnish team
to Beijing to take part in their first World Wushu Championships.
He regularly teaches wushu all over Finland, including Kuopio,
Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lappeenranta, Vaasa, Seinäjoki
ja Järvenpää.
In 1995 the Wushu Centre Zhang Fang was set up in Kaapelitehdas,
Helsinki. 1997 saw him awarded the "Outstanding Judge Award" in
Rome on behalf of the International Wushu Federation. In 1998
he was granted Finnish citizenship, and he now speaks fluent
Finnish in addition to excellent English. In the same year his
Finnish language book "Taiji 24 liikettä ja niiden
sovellukset käytännössä" (24 movement
taiji with practical applications) was published, and in 2005
his DVD "Special Wushu Collection Of Shifu Zhang Fang" was
released, with footage of the master himself performing routines.
Zhang Fang brought taijiquan to the attention of the Finnish
people on the TV and radio, in newspapers and magazines, and
through countless public performances. He has specialised in
Yang and Chen style taijiquan, as well as changquan, broadsword,
staff, sword, spear and international wushu competition. His
students have won numerous medals in international competitions.
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Jet Li second from the left, back row
with Zhang Fang on his right, 1974
Visiting the IWUF headquarters in 1991
The Finnish national team at the 1993 Wushu World Championsips in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
Zhang Fang with grandmaster Cai Long Yun (蔡龙云)
in
Shanghai 2006
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Zhang Fang with the Chinese deputy sports minister Li
Zhijian (李志坚, third from the left)
and the head secretary of IWUF Wang
Xiaolin (王晓林,
first from the left) in Finland in 2004
