Never too old to fight

Confucius said: "At 50 I know the will of Heaven; at 60 my ears are attuned; at 70 I follow my heart's desire without crossing the line." Chen Ming, 60, ignores the rules the master set.

Family members and friends have been trying to persuade him to enjoy an easy life as most of those of his age do. But Chen chooses to think outside the square and stay in the ring; he is a professional boxer.

He started to learn martial arts when he was 10, and learned from a well-known boxer, Gao Guangda, in the late 1980s.

At the time he fought many professional bouts. These days he keeps fit and in shape by doing exercises four hours a day.

He coaches in a fight club in Changchun, Jilin province, and as he passes on skills to others, he is training himself, because he still takes part in bouts.

"Age is no hurdle for me," he says, adding that one well-known boxer was still in the ring when he was 71.

"I can fight for another five years, body permitting."

Chen has stepped up his training recently because next year he plans to go on Wushu Masters, a televised martial arts competition made by CCTV.

(China Daily European Weekly 12/19/2014 page4)