The fighting spirit of tai chi (4)

He took a day job as a wholesaler and often had to spend days on trains. If this prevented him from doing his 20 routines, he would compensate for them the following day, he explains.

Chen's victories in competitions in the 1980s earned him a spot on Henan's sports commission. His 350 yuan ($56) monthly salary was much higher than the 30-yuan average.

"I kept practicing," he recalls.

"Even though I couldn't remove my socks from my swollen feet or turn over in bed, I felt happy."

He has since shifted "from quantity to quality", he says.

Chen has appeared in kung fu films and became a leader of Henan's sports commission.

His first international foray was a 1990 visit to Sydney. Few Australians knew about tai chi then, he says.

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