Liu Wei is a Confucius Institute (孔子学院) kung fu teacher at the University of Sierra Leone (塞拉利昂). To help his students learn kung fu well, Liu puts lots of efforts into researching and improving his teaching methods. He teaches martial arts (武术) in a creative way, making learning more enjoyable.
Liu Wei’s students were introduced to kung fu through movies and TV shows. Kung fu movies and TV shows are very popular among them. That’s where Liu Wei has got his new ideas of teaching. He uses movie clips (片段) in class to help students learn kung fu better. “Martial arts classes should not be just about martial arts skills,” Liu said. He also teaches students the Chinese language and other knowledge he considers necessary for their overall martial arts development. He encourages his students to take part in all kinds of cultural exchange (交流) activities, including martial arts performances and traditional Chinese festivals.
“I used to think kung fu was just for movies. Now I have a better understanding of its spirit,” one of Liu’s students, Georgiana, said. After meeting Liu, many students expressed a strong wish to visit China.
So far, Liu has taught nearly 1,000 students. “In the future, I want to build a ‘martial arts bridge’ between China and Sierra Leone,” he said. “I hope more and more people come to China to enjoy the beauty of rich Chinese culture.”