Baguazhang Chronicles

After more than twenty years, I met an old friend again.

And the most surprising thing was not recognizing him.

It was recognizing the passion.

The real kind. The kind that does not need to be displayed, sold, or justified.

During these more than ten years in China, I have learned something no book could ever have taught me.

China has been my sieve.

It has passed everything through its mesh: friendships, people, beliefs, relationships, ambitions.

And what remained at the bottom was not always pleasant to look at.

I have seen opportunism.
I have seen cowardice.
I have seen people change their position not because they had changed their minds, but because circumstances had changed what was convenient.

I do not condemn them.

Everyone fights their own battles with the weapons they have.

But I learned to recognize those weapons.

And above all, I learned that the hardest sieve is not the one through which you pass other people.

It is the one through which you must pass yourself.

Questioning what you have believed.
Abandoning certainties that have become comfortable.
Admitting that you were wrong.
Changing.

It takes courage.

I have done it.

And every time, it hurt.

But perhaps growing up means exactly this: having the courage to lose a part of yourself so you do not lose yourself entirely.

It is not Kung Fu.

It is life.

And then, when you least expect it, time gives someone back to you.

Sifu Riccardo.

More than twenty years later, meeting again and discovering that some things have never changed.

The talent is still there.
The dedication is still there.
The passion is still there.

Invested quietly, without the need to turn it into a showcase.

And so, with Shanghai bent beneath one of the strongest typhoons I have ever seen, we found ourselves together again, sharing experiences, friendships, ideas and plans.

And raising a glass.

With us was Sifu Sun, heir to the Baguazhang lineage passed down by Wang Zhuang Fei, his grandfather.

A master who has remained distant from politics, convenient alliances, and struggles for power.

Perhaps because some things, when they truly matter, do not need to be defended through power.

They are defended through practice.

In the end, time does its work.

It separates those who talk from those who practice.
Those who seek power from those who seek knowledge.
Those who change for convenience from those who change in order to understand.

And it leaves us with a very simple truth:

You may lose friends, students, reputations, certainties, and even the path you once believed was yours.

But if you still have the courage to begin again,

you have not lost yourself.

The truth is often something uncomfortable that not everyone is ready to accept, but sooner or later we will all have to face it.

I want to express my gratitude to Sim Sifu, a great and dear friend from Foshan. Between laughter, demonstrations, and a few liters of alcohol, it was a privilege to once again hear stories about Kung Fu from one of its protagonists and experts. Moments like these are priceless and remind us that Kung Fu is not just a martial art, but a true journey into history, culture, and friendship.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sim Sifu.

kung fu and coffee, the beauty of Sunday

You will always meet people who will try to belittle your successes. Try not to be the first to do so.