The wushu way

It’s not every day that you get to learn the intricacies of Chinese martial arts from a grandmaster. And one who has taught Chinese superstar Jet Li, no less. Wushu grandmaster Shao Shankang is conducting a class and with a little trepidation, I join in my first session.  

We start off with warm-ups before assuming the basic stance (feet parallel, knees bent, hands in an embracing position) for two minutes. Then it’s the slow-mo walk and on to more advance steps. A few students are already sweating buckets. Two women give up and practise on their own in a corner.