China's martial arts school builds ice hockey team (19)

Fang Yuhao (L) of Shaolin Tagou ice hockey team takes a training session in Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School, Dengfeng City, central China's Henan Province, March 31, 2021. Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School, a few kilometers away from the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu, is building its ice hockey team. The students learn the sport on roller skates at a standard-size rink covered with floor, instead of ice. Practicing martial arts strengthens their physiques and provides them with athletic qualities that ice hockey requires, said training director Zhang Shanghang, who is from Beijing Sport University. Beijing 2022 has encouraged schools across the country to popularize winter sports and cultivate talents. As one of the pilot schools in ice hockey, Shaolin Tagou started the training with over 1,000 students aged from 6 to 15 in 2019. These students expect to play real ice hockey in the future," said Zhang. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)