When we first arrived in Taiwan, we decided to try and find something we could study that would enrich our experience living here. We had spent some time learning about and practicing meditation while we traveled through India and Nepal, so our aim was to find something as deep and fulfilling. We knew we'd be able to find authentic martial arts, but weren't sure of exactly which kinds. As it turned out, we'd find one of the oldest. Chinese martial arts, or Kung Fu as they are referred to in the West, have roots that go back as far as 4000 years. Because they are so old, they either inspired or influenced most other Eastern martial arts.
It was really just luck that brought us to our teacher, Lu Rui-Hsu. Once we got to Taiwan we started asking just about everyone we met where we could study Kung Fu, and while most said that we could certainly find it in Taiwan, no one could tell us exactly where to go. It was a chance conversation with a friend that finally brought us the information we had almost given up on finding. A few days later we followed it and nervously walked into the Kung Fu school one Saturday afternoon in January, 2001. I had no idea what to expect, since all my thoughts of the martial arts had been shaped by American TV and movies. We didn't know it at the time, but what we discovered that day set us on a path that has changed our lives in profound ways.
