BEIJING, July 20 -- IN the late 1990s or early 2000s, many of us watched a wide range of films centred around combat — I, for one, was among them.

At the time, I was young. Some of the films were Asian, some specifically Chinese. I remember names like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.

Naturally, I wanted to learn Taekwondo or Kung Fu. I gave it a go once during secondary school, but I cant quite recall if I even lasted a full month. It demanded commitment, discipline, and time — all of which I struggled to give.

What Im trying to say is: achieving such things is hard. Pain is part of the process. The names that stood out to me did so for good reason, and I respect that.

Though I didnt witness martial arts or the figures ...