German twins learn Tai Chi in Wudang Mountains

A pair of German twin brothers are expecting to be able to promote and spread Chinese martial arts when they return to their home town in the future.

Lucas Felix and Clemens Nikolaus, 24, both surf instructors in Germany, are planning to leave China for home in near future after having studied Tai Chi for more than five months in the Wudang Mountains of Central China.

Virtually joined at the hip, the pair said they wanted to return to Germany to work for about two months and then return to Wudang to continue their study of martial arts.

The brothers, who arrived in China on Jan 12, have stayed in the Wudang Mountains, a famous Chinese Taoist Holy Land, to study and learn Chinese martial arts during the time the country was hit hard by COVID-19.

They like the Wudang Mountains very much, they said. Their hometown in Germany is also a tiny village, so the time studying in the Wudang Mountains was happy, the brothers told China Daily.

In addition to Tai Chi, Bajiquan (Baji boxing) and Baguazhang, or eight fixed palms, the pair studied different kinds of martial arts, including the use of spears, swords and cudgels. They also learned various types of Chinese boxing. The Wudang Mountains are known for martial arts.

There are many similarities between surfing and Tai Chi, such as maintaining balance, the brothers said. At the beginning, they were a little anxious, but later found that they need not be impatient while learning and practicing Tai Chi. The art cannot be learned in a day, the brothers noted.

With their diligence and enthusiasm, Felix and Nikolaus quickly rose to become top students in the martial arts school in the Wudang Mountains.

They hope to teach people in Germany the Chinese martial arts when they return in the future, they said.

An American student identified only as "Jack" said Felix and Nikolaus were smart and studied hard.

A senior fellow apprentice who has studied in the Wudang Mountains for more than a decade added that the brothers "can remember the movements when they are taught once".

Jack also taught the brothers martial arts in recent months.