Located in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Mount Emei is renowned for its beautiful and fairy-like scenery, and is often dubbed the "most beautiful mountain in the country." Besides the landscape, Mount Emei has a rich culture of martial arts, including the traditional Emei Fist. Created by a martial artist named Situ Xuankong, the Fist originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, nearly 3,000 years ago.

The Emei Fist emphasizes the use of palms and fingers. The smaller the target area, the greater the force used. The fluid moves alternate between slow and fast, deceptive and real, allowing the fighter to conquer the enemy effortlessly and elegantly.

Tang Shunzhi, a Confucian master in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), recorded the characteristics of Emei Fist in The Song of Fist of the Emei Taoist: "When tension rises, you stamp your feet, the rocks crumble and the sand fleet. Move your waist like there were no bones, move your hands like there were a thousand clones." The fist is as fast as the wind, yet it focuses on the balance between hard and soft, inner and outer power.

Wang Chao is an inheritor of the Emei Fist. He is also the head coach of a youth amateur martial arts club. For years, he has devoted himself to teaching martial arts as a way of developing the Emei Fist and leaving the art form to future generations. Due to his contributions, Wang was listed as a national-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in 2018.

In his opinion, everyone has a unique personality. It is the same with fists. Emei Fist combines the advantages of the fierce and the mild. While learning the technique, the practitioners also exercise the inner world to be steady and peaceful.

"Kids train their muscles. Teenagers train their will power. Young men train their strength. Old men train their breathing. This is also practical for our daily lives. People should live harmoniously," says Wang.

As times change, so should the education of martial arts. To promote it better, Wang created the beginner's version of Emei Fist. He inspires to treat the martial art as an interest. Gradual teaching could bring more young people to the Emei Fist. That's the way it should be passed on from generation to generation.

Every year, Wang takes his students to various martial art competitions, showing the charm of Emei Fist to the world. His effort has paid off, as more people join the Emei Fist practitioners. With the persistence of the practitioners, the Emei Fist can make a difference technically and spiritually.