Bendza and his Wushu life

As a child, Little Bendza first got to know Wushu, the ancient meditative martial arts,in Gabonese cinemas. The films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan introduced him to China, and ultimately made him decide to travel across the world to study these disciplines.

Luc Bendza has now been in China for 20 years and is a graduate of Beijing Sports University's Wushu Department. He has won awards in international Wushu competitions and is a member of an International Wushu Union technical committee.

Bendza's first Wushu teacher was a Chinese doctor in Gabon. Little Bendza used to hide in the morning and spy the doctor practicing taijiquan, a system of physical exercises that emphasizes balance, coordination and effortlessness movements, designed for attaining mental control and well-being and also self-defense. The doctor stretched his arms, lifted his knees and spun. He moved rhythmically, taking deep even breaths, his eyes following the movement of his elbows and fingers, moving as if in slow motion. The doctor one day, discovered the child who had been watching him. They became good friends and the doctor became Bendza's first Wushu and Chinese language teacher.

Wushu is a sport derived from ancient battlefields after thousands of years . Its purpose is defense and bodybuilding. An integral part of Chinese culture, it can be viewed as reflecting the Chinese way of thinking and value system. For all of these reasons, Wushu is difficult for a foreigner to learn.

When Bendza was 14, he entertained ideas of traveling to China. "I just can't wait to go," he told his surprised mother, who responded, "Don't you know how far away China is?" She granted permission, in large part because her brother was working in China at the time, and she had confidence in the kindness of Chinese people. So young Bendza left home for China.

Studies and a Way of Life

Bendza first studied Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University. He passed the entrance exam and enrolled in Beijing Sports University's Wushu Department, a famous sports university founded in 1953. Bendza later became a postgraduate and continued to live on the university campus for several years after graduation.

"If a foreigner wants to become a postgraduate at Beijing Sport University, he or she must have a bachelor's degree and pass HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) Level 5," Bendza recalls his teacher saying. "Students also need recommendations from two associate professors." Directed by professor Men Huifeng and others, Bendza passed all of his courses and practiced Wushu with devotion.

As a Wushu major, Bendza studied not only its history and theory, but also Chinese traditional culture, the basics of traditional Chinese medicine, health care, medical supervision and traumatology massage. After a great deal of effort, Bendza found that the highest state of Wushu was attainable. He ranked highly at international competitions, notably coming sixth in the all-around competition at the Second World Wushu Championship. A few years ago, he began working as a trainer and international referee of students from Africa and Europe.

As a referee, Bendza once had an unhappy experience in France when he was invited there to teach Wushu. People were skeptical about a non-Chinese Wushu teacher, but Bendza believes that anyone, foreign or Chinese, who devotes as much time and energy to Wushu as he has can attain a high level.

Wushu for the Future

Wushu is more like a philosophy than a sport. It provides a macroscopic and holistic way of perceiving the world. It trains people to be flexible and healthy, and helps them reach a kind of equilibrium.

Through his teaching, Bendza sees an opportunity to help people experience this balanced state, and to strengthen a link between his ancestral and adopted homes. In both China and Africa, he feels that Wushu is a medium for exchange and cooperation. It is an international language through which people can reach deeper and wider understanding of each other. He is willing to teach more people Wushu and let them benefit from it.

As a member of the International Wushu Union, Bendza promotes Wushu to the world. He wrote a letter to the Gabonese President Haj Omar Bongo shortly before Gabon's National Day in 1993, expressing his desire to perform before all the guests from other countries at the National Day state banquet. The president gladly accepted, and Bendza's wonderful performance thrilled and delighted the audience.

Besides teaching and performing, Bendza promotes Wushu through film. "His kungfu is as excellent as his Chinese and he is a studious and smart actor," said the famous Hong Kong director Frankie Chan. He has invited Bendza to act in several of his films, and in future, filmgoers may expect to see more African Wushu stars on the screen.