(Ecns.cn)--Remember the movie "Fearless" that starred famous Chinese kung fu actor Jet Li in 2006? In the movie, Huo Yuanjia！a Chinese martial artist who challenges foreign fighters in highly publicized events！restored pride and nationalism to China at a time when Western imperialism and Japanese manipulation were eroding the country.
While in real life 1981, there was also a Chinese martial artist, Feng Zhiqiang, who impressed the world by triumphing over Bruce Kumar Frantzis, an American karate champion who came to China to challenge Chinese martial artists in Beijing.
It is not uncommon to see foreign martial artists and students come to China to exchange ideas and skills with their Chinese counterparts by challenging them or learning from them. But the story of Feng and Frantzis is a unique one that even over 30 years later, people who are familiar with the anecdote still like to talk about.
One hit down
In 1981, 33-year-old karate champion Bruce Kumar Frantzis came to China hoping to meet some Chinese martial artists and learn something from them. He is said to have begun learning Chinese martial arts at the age of six, and since China is the cradle of this art, he wished to compete with people here.
Hearing that Beijing Sport University was a base for martial arts, Frantzis came here and decided to "kick up a row" at the university. After several rounds of fighting with students and others who learned martial arts here, the man did not find anyone who could beat him.
He became very conceited and even said that "it is just a waste of time here," recalled Men Huifeng, dean of the Department of Martial Arts at the university. In order to win and show this foreigner real martial arts, Men went to folk groups outside the university to find people who were good at martial arts.
Finally, he found Feng Zhiqiang, a then famous martial artist who worked at an electrical machinery plant in Beijing. "The invitation was an official one from the Beijing Sport University," recalled Feng who is now already 83. Feng had comparatively high attainments in martial arts and since he thought that it would not be hard to beat the foreigner, he accepted the invitation.
Since the competition was held by the Beijing Sport University and those who challenged Frantzis were from the university, Men asked Feng to join the competition in the name of the university and to wear the school's sporting uniform.
Frantzis, in Feng's memory, was a very tall man with a strong body, but looked very arrogant. On September 2, 1981, the two fighters met at a vacant lot in the university, and with only a few people in attendance, they began fighting.
The first round took two minutes with Feng hitting Frantzis's chest, making him fall on the floor. After 10 minutes, the second round began. Frantzis attacked Feng first, but did not hit him, while Feng quickly hit Frantzis's neck and threw him down.
This short movement made Frantzis surrender, saying that "this is real martial arts and the contest is over," recalled one of Feng's students who witnessed the contest. After the contest, the two men communicated for a while and Feng showed Frantzis how he defeated him.
After the contest, Frantzis went back to his home, but since the news that he was defeated by Feng had spread to the United States, Frantzis's business of teaching martial arts had been affected and he closed his school and martial arts club.
Later Frantzis came back to China to ask Feng to be his martial arts teacher, but was denied by Feng, according to Feng's apprentice.
Backed by the country
"Frantzis was not the first person to come to China for martial arts," said Men. After the Cultural Revolution, China began to publicize martial arts in the international community, and in order to make it more recognizable worldwide, many martial art schools began to accept foreign students. Frantzis arrived in China just at that time.
Men helped Frantzis to find some martial artists, but since many people could not defeat him, Men thought of Feng. "The contest has been reported on by many media outlets and some tabloids. Although some people did not agree with the reports, they in some way helped to promote the martial arts," added Men.
After over 30 years, many can still remember the contest between Feng and Frantzis. Feng's win also inspired many to learn martial arts later in China.
