Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.
Joshua Chiatovich donates his kung fu novel, The Baji Mantis, to Xiamen University in August, where he received his bachelor's degree in Chinese philosophy. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
At Emei Mountain in August, a young man from the US state of Michigan reached its peak. Below him, trees covered with fog unfolded like pages of a book.
Emei's Golden Summit Temple shone in the summer sunlight as Joshua Chiatovich walked toward it. After decades of martial arts training, he said he stood where his dreams had led him.
"Being a martial artist and competing against the best martial artists in the world on Emei Mountain is the dream. It's a fantasy," said Chiatovich, who organized Team US to take part in the ninth World Kung Fu Championships in Sichuan province.
Emei Mountain has been a destination for martial arts training and competition because of its treacherous terrain. Over time, martial artists have gathered there for exchanges and competitions.
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Chiatovich, an author and martial arts teacher at a martial arts club in Detroit, Michigan, has been practicing kung fu for decades, and now teaches students, mostly Chinese Americans.
Stretching his hands and with fingers curved like sharp claws to mimic the movements of a mantis in combat, Chiatovich demonstrated his own style of Praying Mantis Boxing at the competition.
There, he met someone who practiced Six Harmonies Praying Mantis. They argued about Chiatovich's style, Baji Mantis. The man said there is no such thing. But Chiatovich said his grandmaster mixed baji quan, or Baji Boxing, and Praying Mantis Boxing for more power and speed.
The argument seemed like a scene from Chiatovich's kung fu novel, The Baji Mantis, published in July.
Based in ancient China, it is a martial arts fantasy about a young praying mantis, whose obsession with the human world leads him on a journey of adventure, discovery and kung fu.
Chiatovich did not feel alone when he was in China, as Wu Liang, Xu Pang and Xiaoxiao, the three mantis characters, accompanied him on the trip. The martial arts trip to China has given him much inspiration to continue the story of the three mantises, which will be a trilogy.
Coming-of-age story
The story begins with a young mantis aged 9, and readers will witness him growing up to 18.
"It's kind of like the lessons they learn and the growth that they undergo because it's a coming-of-age story," Chiatovich said.
He said he was "shocked" with the Western audience he gained from the book.
"The audience I'm gaining in the West has no knowledge of China. They've never been to China, they don't speak Chinese, and they know almost nothing about Chinese culture," he said.
"A lot of the reviews I'm reading have people saying I'm accidentally teaching them about Chinese culture, and they're learning about Chinese martial arts and culture seamlessly through the story. So, those things make me really happy when I read that."
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Chiatovich's kung fu dreams began when he was 8. One night, he stumbled on an old kung fu movie on television. It happened to be Drunken Master, and that was his first kung fu movie.
"It changed my life, introducing me to kung fu, Jackie Chan and the idea of China. From that moment, my dream of practicing kung fu and moving to China began," he said.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, Chiatovich traveled to China to study Chinese culture and philosophy at Xiamen University in Fujian province, where he lived for four years. That was "the best time of my life", he said.
After returning to his hometown Detroit, he began promoting martial arts and traditional Chinese festivals such as Chinese New Year to promote traditional Chinese culture. He is also the chief communications officer of the Detroit Chinatown Group.
"Every time I'm in China, I feel I'm living my dream, and I will be traveling back and forth the rest of my life," Chiatovich said.
