In a studio in Berlin, Ismet Himmet, 48, guides a group of students through the flowing movements of tai chi. Fluent in Mandarin, and known by his Chinese name Yu Lihan, he has spent more than three decades immersed in Chinese martial arts, transforming what began as a personal passion into a lifelong mission of cultural exchange.

Himmet first encountered kung fu in 1991 and traveled to China in 2000 to learn directly from masters.

In 2006, he established Xuan-Gong Fu Academy in Berlin, which is dedicated to the internal martial arts.

Today, his school offers classes in tai chi, baguazhang (eight-diagram palms), xingyiquan (form-intent fist) and more, attracting students of all ages.

For him, martial arts are not merely a set of techniques — they represent a lifestyle and a way of thinking. In time, he believes, practice allows students not only to refine skills, but to understand the culture from which each tradition grew.

Thousands of kilometers away in Shanghai, She Yuran is on a parallel journey, only in reverse. Born in Sichuan province and now living in Shanghai, he was introduced to historical European martial arts at university.

Starting with the German school of classical fencing, he threw himself into the study of historical weapons and combat techniques.