December 2009, The Chinese National Wushu Research Institute with the establishment of the International Experts Commission, a special ceremony was held in the Great Hall of People (Beijing) for the 18 selected personalities as a recognition of their exceptional careers and contributions for martial arts.

When it cames to the one we know as "The Yangtze Great Chivalrous Man" Lu Zijian, I did only hear his name and understood that he did not attend personally to this honorific ceremony. I heard later that it was due to some health problems, it was a member of his family who represented him to receive his award .

Just before in Chongqing during the "Conference Chinese National Wushu West Border", top executives of Chinese National Wushu Federation came altogether for a visit to a very ordinary place in Chongqing, Nanan District - Shangxin Road, in a residential area: it was to pay a tribute to the Great master Lu Zijian, considered now very seriously by the Chinese authorities as a "living treasure" in China.

Living in three centuries A close friend of Huo Yuanjia

When members of the local Wushu Federation told me the age of Lu Zijian I was without any word, completely amazed by this age - 117. Later I made my own research: Lu was born the 15th October 1893 in Yichang, Hubei province. He was during the Late Qing Dynasty one of the "Three Great Knights" which include "Jin Men Chivalrous Man" Huo Yuanjia but also "Guan Dong Chivalrous Man" Du Xinwu. The man who lived in three centuries gained the reputation of "Most healthy super-centenarian".

According to historical documents, Lu Zijian after being initiated in martial arts by his own mother in his very young age, later studied with a top level Wushu expert - from Wudang and Emei lineage but also studied at the Medical School of Hubei province.

In 1911 he was 18 and decided to come to Beijing which leads him to deepen his martial arts studies: in Baguazhang with Master Li Changye and in Xingyiquan with Master Yu Shirong.

In 1920: he won the Gold medal at the Nanjing Yuhuatai Martial Arts Competition at the age of 28.

Later when he was based in Chongqing, the Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jie Shi) the Chinese military and political leader who was leading the Kuomintang (KMT) appointed him as one-star General for his outstanding contribution during resistance against invading Japanese troops but also to coordinate his personal bodyguards.

Lu has an open mind, chivalric but has always maintained a disciplined life with well balanced dietetics. He uses to say: " I have very simple habits: "Have breakfast in the morning until sensation of fullness, have a good lunch at noon and a light dinner." Sleeping early and waking early to first exercise the body. Then practice Baguazhang. Everyday he needs to practice between one to two hours of meditation. After having trained internal exercises for more than 100 years, Lu has refined over decades his own Healing method, enjoying until now the fruits of his incessant training efforts. About his longevity, Lu precices the following: "Move your Qi, nurture your health and cultivate your nature. Training martial arts will make your four members more agile. Combining harmoniously moving and non-moving is the only correct method to reach a long life.

These last decades Lu Zijian has been treating patients with Chinese medicine and in the same time establishing his martial arts academy in order to transmit the Wudang lineage of Taoist martial arts. We can consider that Lu Zijian has formed between 50 to 60 000 students, then from generation to generation, reaching up to the fifth generation of martial artists, the final total number of wushu adepts transmitting his art has now reached is now quite hard to evaluate. These recent years Lu Shunhua his grand daughter is taking care of the "Yuzhou Zijian Martial Arts Academy" and the "Lu Zijian Orthopedic Clinic". She won many martial arts competitions and she is clearly the successor selected by Lu Zijian to continue to transmit and develop his arts.

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