Huo Yuanjia descendant aims to popularize martial arts

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For some athletes at the National Games, winning gold is not their only purpose. Chinese martial artist Huo Jinghong is hoping to use the Games to promote her family's martial arts to the world's most populous nation.

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Martial arts is an event at the Asian Games and was included in the form of a demonstration at both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics.

Huo Jinghong is a descendant of the Chinese martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who defeated foreign fighters in highly publicized bouts at a time when Chinese sovereignty was in danger.

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As a representative of Tianjin's intangible cultural heritage, Huo also recently won the gold medal at the Fitness Qigong groups competition, which is part of the amateur events at the Tianjin National Games.

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However, she thinks martial arts have a deeper meaning than just fighting and as a descendant of a famous martial arts master, there is a lot of importance in how she conducts herself when competing and teaching.

A legacy can be important but Huo Yuanjia's success has shown she doesn't need to rely on her family name.